Skip to main content

Maternal Booster COVID-19 Vaccination Protects Infants Through 6 Months

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 23, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Feb. 23, 2024 -- Maternal booster COVID-19 vaccination protects infants from infection in the first six months of life, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in Pediatrics.

Cristina V. Cardemil, M.D., M.P.H., from the National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues quantified protection against infection from maternally derived vaccine-induced antibodies in the first six months of an infant's life. Full-length spike (Spike) immunoglobulin G (IgG), pseudovirus 614D, and live virus D614G and omicron BA.1 and BA.5 neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers were measured at delivery among infants born to mothers vaccinated during pregnancy with two or three doses of a messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The researchers found that Spike IgG, pseudovirus, and live nAb titers were significantly higher at delivery for 204 infants of boosted mothers than for 271 infants of nonboosted mothers; infants of boosted mothers were 56 percent less likely to acquire infection in the first six months. The infant's risk for acquiring infection was reduced by 47 percent for each 10-fold increase in Spike IgG titer at delivery, irrespective of boost. Risk reductions of 30, 46, 56, and 60 percent were seen in association with 10-fold increases in pseudovirus titers against Wuhan Spike, live virus nAb titers against D614G, and omicron BA.1 and BA.5 at delivery, respectively.

"We show that a monovalent booster dose during pregnancy leads to higher binding and nAb titers at delivery that are effective against omicron, for an age group that has the highest COVID-19-associated hospitalization rate in pediatrics since the emergence and ubiquitous spread of omicron variants," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Multivitamin Use Not Linked to Mortality Benefit in U.S. Adults

WEDNESDAY, June 26, 2024 -- Multivitamin (MV) use is not associated with mortality benefit among U.S. adults, according to a study published online June 26 in JAMA Network...

COVID-19 Vaccination Not Tied to Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 -- mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to a study published in the...

Cannabis Use Tied to Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalizations, ICU Admissions

TUESDAY, June 25, 2024 -- Current cannabis use may be an independent risk factor for COVID-19–related complications, according to a study published online June 21...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.