COVID-19 vaccines offer protection for pregnant, lactating women: study

WASHINGTON - COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could generate robust humoral immunity in pregnant and lactating women, according to a study published Thursday in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School looked at 131 women who received either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Among the participants, 84 were pregnant, 31 were lactating and 16 were not pregnant. Samples were collected between Dec. 17, 2020 and March 2, 2021.

The study found vaccine-induced antibody titers were equivalent in pregnant and lactating compared to non-pregnant women.

The antibody levels were "strikingly higher" than those resulting from coronavirus infection during pregnancy, according to the research team.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines generated robust humoral immunity in pregnant and lactating women. Vaccine-induced immune responses were significantly greater than the response to natural infection, the study showed.

Immune transfer to neonates occurred via placenta and breastmilk, according to the study.