If you’re pregnant, you may have concerns about getting vaccinated for COVID-19. However, clinical studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for use during pregnancy. Vaccination during pregnancy offers the mother and baby protection against severe illness or death from COVID-19.

How Do Vaccines Protect Against COVID-19?

When a person receives a COVID-19 vaccine, their body produces antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Antibodies are molecules that allow the immune system to recognize and attack the COVID-19 virus, thereby reducing the risk of severe illness.

Antibodies against other infectious organisms are known to cross the placenta into the fetus. They’re also found in breast milk. These antibodies often give significant protection to fetuses and newborns.

Two of the most widely available COVID-19 vaccines are produced by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Both are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, and two doses are required for initial protection against COVID-19.

COVID-19 Is Harmful for Pregnant Mothers and Newborns

Although COVID-19 is a serious health risk for the public in general, getting COVID-19 while pregnant poses additional risks to the mother and baby. A pregnant or recently pregnant person is at a higher risk for severe illness and complications — including premature birth or stillbirth — from COVID-19. Newborn infants are also at a higher risk for severe complications from COVID-19, including acute respiratory failure.

Vaccination During Pregnancy Protects Infants from COVID-19

Due to the risk of complications from COVID-19, doctors strongly recommend that people get vaccinated when they’re pregnant. Studies have shown that when people get vaccinated while pregnant, antibodies against the COVID-19 virus can be transferred from the mother to the baby.

A recent study, summarized in a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), explored whether this could provide real-world protection against COVID-19 for infants younger than 6 months.

The study examined 379 infants who were hospitalized and who tested either positive or negative for COVID-19. Mothers were considered vaccinated if they had received two doses of an mRNA vaccine from either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech.

The mothers of infants who tested negative for COVID-19 were more likely to have been vaccinated during pregnancy than mothers of infants who tested positive for COVID-19. This indicates a protective effect of the vaccine against COVID-19 in newborns. Additionally, getting fully vaccinated during the second half of pregnancy correlated with better protection for newborns than vaccination during early pregnancy.

Overall, the study showed that newborns whose mothers were vaccinated for COVID-19 during pregnancy were 61 percent less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than newborns born to unvaccinated mothers.

Data from this clinical study suggests that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy can benefit babies after birth and decrease their risk of contracting COVID-19 during at least the first six months of life. This protective effect is important because infants are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.

CDC: Stay Up to Date on Vaccines and Boosters

To provide themselves and their newborns with the best defense against severe illness or death, people who are pregnant or may become pregnant are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The CDC recommends that “People who are pregnant should stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, including getting a COVID-19 booster shot when it’s time to get one.”

Talk With Others Who Understand

On myCOVIDteam, the social support network for those recovering from the effects of COVID-19, you can connect with others. Members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand living with the effects of COVID-19.

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