November 2021
GAZETTE
TWO NEW STUDIES SUPPORT THE DECISION TO VACCINATE AGAINST COVID-19 IN PREGNANT PEOPLE
TWO RECENT STUDIES REINFORCE THE CONVENIENCE AND SAFETY OF VACCINATION AGAINST COVID-19 IN PREGNANT PEOPLE, WHICH SUPPORTS THE DECISION ADOPTED BY MANY COUNTRIES (INCLUDING ARGENTINA) TO CONSIDER THIS POPULATION AS A PRIORITY TO BE IMMUNIZED.
The first of the works, published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE, was carried out by researchers from the Institute of Clinical and Health Effectiveness (IECS), an academic institution affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires, together with researchers from the tulane universities (in New Orleans) and Washington (in Seattle), both in the United States. It consists of a “panoramic review” that included 66 systematic reviews of the medical literature published between January and October 2020, on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy for both the mother and the newborn.
The work concludes that the risk of congenital transmission of the disease and through breast milk is low (although close contact of a mother, suffering from COVID-19, with the child would increase that risk). However, the data support that “Pregnant people with COVID-19 may be at increased risk of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.”
According to the research, the symptom most frequent symptoms during pregnancy with COVID-19 were fever and mild respiratory failure. Laboratory alterations most common were the elevated C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation), decreased lymphocytes and across imaging studies, signs of pneumonia. In relation to childbirth, there was a high frequency of cesarean sections (range from 23 to 96%) and premature births (from 14 to 64%). Most babies had no symptoms or low birth weight or other complications.
“The review of systematic reviews is the most consolidated or firm evidence that can be obtained on this issue. And what is clearly established is that pregnant women are a risk group for COVID-19, both due to its effects on themselves and their babies", says the principal investigator of the study, the Dr. Agustín Ciapponi, director of the Cochrane Argentina Center of the IECS, doctor in Public Health and researcher at CONICET.
“The most disturbing fact is that, compared to pregnant women without COVID-19, it is estimated that infection with the new coronavirus in pregnant people doubles the probability of requiring a respirator. And also The risk of newborns requiring assistance in neonatal intensive care triples”, point out the co-authors, Drs. Ariel Bardach, director of the Center for Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIESP) and Dr. Agustina Mazzoni, gynecologist, obstetrician and IECS researcher.
VACCINE SAFETY
The second study analyzed the safety of vaccines against COVID-19 in pregnant women, given that these are new products and that population was initially excluded from clinical trials. After selecting and analyzing 38 clinical and preclinical studies (with a total of almost 2,4 million pregnant people and 56 laboratory animals), Dr. Ciapponi, colleagues from the IECS and academic and regulatory institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom and Bajos concluded that, although more specific studies are required, "they do not exist safety concerns associated with pregnancy with COVID-19 vaccines how much “Its components or platforms – already used in other vaccines – did not show negative results.”
The work done, disseminated as preprint on medRxiv, It consisted of a rapid review of studies that examined the safety of components (such as different adjuvants that enhance the immune response) and platforms (technology used by the vaccine) of COVID-19 vaccines, previously used in other non-COVID vaccines. -19.
"The findings support current WHO guidelines recommending that pregnant people may consider receiving vaccines against COVID-19, particularly if they are at high risk of exposure or have comorbidities that increase the risk of severe disease.", they added.
“The joint evidence from these two studies reinforces the decision to vaccinate pregnant people, since the risks are minimal or non-existent and the advantages are many,” summarized Dr. Ciapponi.
"Until now No safety concerns have been identified with COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant people or their babies.. It is necessary to continue monitoring this group of people to determine with greater certainty the effects of these vaccines on pregnancy and the newborn. ", stated a co-author, the Dr. Agustina Mazzoni, gynecologist, obstetrician and master in Clinical Effectiveness and researcher at the IECS.
The two works mentioned here, as well as others that analyze the relationship between pregnancy and COVID, are available on the platform https://safeinpregnancy.org/
ABOUT IECS: The IECS is an independent, non-profit academic institution dedicated to research, education and technical cooperation in health. Founded in 2002, it is an institution affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) that houses a CONICET executing unit, a WHO Collaborating center and a Cochrane Center. The mission of the IECS is “to contribute to improving global health, generating and promoting the application of the best scientific evidence.”
IECS PRESS CONTACT:
Lic. Mariana Comolli, Coordinator of the Communication Unit.
Tel.: (011) 4777-8767 ext. 133. mcomolli@iecs.org.ar