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Induction of Maternal Immune Activation in Mice at Mid-gestation Stage with Viral Mimic Poly(I:C)
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Published on: March 25, 2016

Association Between COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Safety Among Infants

Elizabeth M Quincer1, Gabriela Vazquez-Benitez2, Eric S Weintraub1

  • 1Immunization Safety Office, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.

Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
|June 3, 2026
PubMed

Insights

COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is safe for infants. Studies show no increased risk of respiratory, bloodstream, or meningeal infections in babies up to six months old whose mothers received the vaccine.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatrics
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Vaccination in pregnancy offers protection to both mother and infant through antibody transfer.
  • Potential interference of maternal antibodies with infant immune responses to early childhood vaccines is a concern.
  • Limited data exist on the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy concerning infant infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.
  • To assess the association between maternal COVID-19 vaccination in the second or third trimester and infant infections up to six months of age.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of 42,940 pregnancies from May 2020 to February 2021.
  • Utilized data from eight integrated healthcare systems in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.
  • Employed inverse probability of treatment weighting to control for confounders and estimated adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs).

Main Results:

  • 34.4% of pregnancies received COVID-19 vaccination during the second or third trimester.
  • No increased risk of medically attended respiratory infections in infants (aIRR 0.86).
  • No increased risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bloodstream, or meningeal infections observed.

Conclusions:

  • COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of non-targeted infant infections.
  • Findings support the safety of maternal COVID-19 vaccination regarding infant infection risks.
  • No adverse associations found for respiratory, bloodstream, or meningeal infections in infants up to six months old.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19non-targeted infectionspregnancyvaccine safety

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