Vaccination during pregnancy with TDaP and Flu is both well studied and formally recommended [2,3,4,5]. The COVID-19 Pandemic and subsequent EUAs (Emergency Use Authorization) for two mRNA vaccines have created significant need for active research regarding safety and efficacy in pregnant and lactating mothers, as well as their offspring [6, 7].
The novel mRNA vaccines theoretically will demonstrate similar safety in this population, including placental passage of protective antibodies. Natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, seems to confer lower than expected passage of antibodies to the fetus which may indicate newborns born to vaccinated mothers will remain at risk for infection [8].
We have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies are detectable in a newborn’s cord blood sample after only a single dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Thus, there is potential for protection and infection risk reduction from SARS-CoV-2 with maternal vaccination. Quantification of the antibody response can help to determine the specific antibody titer and aid in longitudinal monitoring of the dynamics of the antibody response in individual patients. Protective efficacy in newborns and ideal timing of maternal vaccination remains unknown. Further studies will be needed to quantify the amount of viral neutralizing antibodies present in babies born to SARS-CoV-2 naïve mothers who are vaccinated prior to delivery. Additionally, the duration of antibody protection in this population is not yet known and serial total antibody measurements may be used to determine how long protection is expected which may help to determine when the best time would be to begin vaccination in newborns born to mothers who received a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.
We urge other investigators to create pregnancy and breastfeeding registries as well as conduct efficacy and safety studies of the COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant and breastfeeding woman and their offspring. Here, we report the first known case of an infant with SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies detectable in cord blood after maternal vaccination.