The long-term immune response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination was similar in pregnant people compared to non-pregnant people of reproductive age, according to a study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. The similarity of protection should be emphasized, given that pregnancy alters the immune system, and potentially the response to vaccination.
The findings, published Nov. 2 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM, add further support to current recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination at any time during pregnancy, including booster doses after the initial series of two doses, to help protect. pregnant with severe COVID-19. The researchers also found that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination during pregnancy transferred protection to unborn babies, an essential benefit since babies must be at least six months old to receive their first shot. vaccination against COVID-19.
Dr. Yawei Jenny Yang
“We and others have shown that mRNA vaccination results in a strong initial immune response in pregnant people, but long-term protection was unclear,” said lead study author Dr. Yawei Jenny Yang, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell. Medicine and Pathologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “We believe our study is unique in that it longitudinally assesses long-term immunity in pregnant and non-pregnant individuals up to 10 months after their first two SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines.”
For his study, which involved extensive collaboration between several departments, Dr. Yang and colleagues collected and analyzed blood samples from 53 pregnant and 21 non-pregnant people receiving care at Weill Cornell Medicine who received their first two doses of Pfizer or Moderna SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine between December 2020 and June 2021. The vaccines targeted the original Wuhan strain of SARS-CoV-2, and no study participants had ever had COVID-19. The researchers collected blood at the time of the first and second doses of the vaccine, two weeks after the second dose and at regular intervals for 42 weeks.
The researchers found that vaccination resulted in robust levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, called anti-spike IgG antibodies, the most abundant, potent and long-lasting antibodies what does the immune system do after mRNA vaccination. Antibodies attach to the virus and attack it directly or prevent it from infecting cells.
The results of the study showed that the levels of anti-spike IgG antibodies were similar in pregnant and non-pregnant individuals. The peak immune response to vaccination occurred about two weeks after vaccination, regardless of when vaccination was initiated during pregnancy. The amounts of these antibodies declined at a similar rate in pregnant and non-pregnant individuals, to 64-77 percent of their peak by about six to eight months after vaccination. This finding supports the benefits of booster doses to maintain optimal protection against COVID-19, regardless of pregnancy status.
Dr. Laura Riley
In addition, Dr. Yang and colleagues found anti-spike IgG antibodies in the cord blood of vaccinated pregnant women who gave birth at NewYork-Presbyterian Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, confirming previous reports of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. protection for babies. “We are grateful to the participants who enrolled in the study so they could help others,” he said.
“Early in the pandemic, doctors recommended vaccination based on the need to protect pregnant people from the devastating effects of COVID-19,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Laura Riley, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Given Foundation Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine and chief obstetrician and gynecologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “We can now say definitively that after vaccination, pregnant people have as robust an immune response as non-pregnant people. Our data and accumulated research on COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant people indicate that vaccines protect people pregnant women from the effects of COVID-19 and also protect their babies.”
“We hope our findings will encourage more pregnant women to get vaccinated,” he said.
Many physicians and scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine maintain relationships and collaborate with external organizations to foster scientific innovation and provide expert guidance. The institution makes these communications public to guarantee transparency. For this information, see the profile of Dr. Riley.