<p id="thickbox_headline">The best time for pregnant women to get vaccinated against Covid-19 is as soon as possible, says a team of researchers.</p>.<p>The researchers said that Covid-19 vaccination of expectant mothers elicits levels of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 outer "spike" protein at the time of delivery that don't vary dramatically with the timing of vaccination during pregnancy and thus, don't justify delaying vaccination.</p>.<p>"Women often ask what is the best vaccination timing for the baby - our data suggest that it's now," said researcher Malavika Prabhu from the Weill Cornell Medicine in the US.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/omicron-might-evade-antibodies-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you-don-t-have-immunity-1059967.html" target="_blank">Omicron might evade antibodies – but that doesn’t mean you don’t have immunity </a></strong></p>.<p>For the study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, the team analysed how anti-spike antibody levels in the mother's blood and baby's umbilical cord blood at delivery varied with the timing of prior vaccination in nearly 1,400 women and their babies.</p>.<p>They found that the levels of these antibodies at delivery tended to be higher when the initial vaccination course occurred in the third trimester.</p>.<p>However, they also found that antibody levels at delivery are still comparably high, and probably still protective, when vaccination occurs in early pregnancy or even a few weeks before pregnancy -- and a booster shot late in pregnancy can make those antibody levels much higher.</p>.<p>The team set up a new study to address the question of the best timing for Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy. The analysis covered 1,359 pregnant women who reported vaccination against Covid-19, during or up to six weeks before pregnancy, and gave birth after 34 or more weeks of gestation.</p>.<p>They found that anti-spike antibodies were generally detectable at delivery, in maternal and cord blood, among all the fully vaccinated women, regardless of the timing of their first vaccine dose.</p>.<p>Among women with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection who received the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine, the levels of antibodies at delivery were lowest after pre-pregnancy or first trimester vaccination and highest after third trimester vaccination; however, the difference wasn't large.</p>.<p>There was no significant difference in anti-spike antibody levels by timing of vaccination among the relatively small number of women who received the Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine.</p>.<p>Among vaccinated women who had a prior history of Covid-19 infection, anti-spike antibody levels at delivery in maternal and cord blood were moderately higher on average, and showed even less of a decline with earlier vaccination timing.</p>.<p>In women that did not receive a complete course of vaccination by time of birth, the levels of anti-spike antibodies in maternal blood and in cord blood were significantly lower than all other cohorts including the earliest vaccinated cohort.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos:</strong></p>
<p id="thickbox_headline">The best time for pregnant women to get vaccinated against Covid-19 is as soon as possible, says a team of researchers.</p>.<p>The researchers said that Covid-19 vaccination of expectant mothers elicits levels of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 outer "spike" protein at the time of delivery that don't vary dramatically with the timing of vaccination during pregnancy and thus, don't justify delaying vaccination.</p>.<p>"Women often ask what is the best vaccination timing for the baby - our data suggest that it's now," said researcher Malavika Prabhu from the Weill Cornell Medicine in the US.</p>.<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/omicron-might-evade-antibodies-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you-don-t-have-immunity-1059967.html" target="_blank">Omicron might evade antibodies – but that doesn’t mean you don’t have immunity </a></strong></p>.<p>For the study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, the team analysed how anti-spike antibody levels in the mother's blood and baby's umbilical cord blood at delivery varied with the timing of prior vaccination in nearly 1,400 women and their babies.</p>.<p>They found that the levels of these antibodies at delivery tended to be higher when the initial vaccination course occurred in the third trimester.</p>.<p>However, they also found that antibody levels at delivery are still comparably high, and probably still protective, when vaccination occurs in early pregnancy or even a few weeks before pregnancy -- and a booster shot late in pregnancy can make those antibody levels much higher.</p>.<p>The team set up a new study to address the question of the best timing for Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy. The analysis covered 1,359 pregnant women who reported vaccination against Covid-19, during or up to six weeks before pregnancy, and gave birth after 34 or more weeks of gestation.</p>.<p>They found that anti-spike antibodies were generally detectable at delivery, in maternal and cord blood, among all the fully vaccinated women, regardless of the timing of their first vaccine dose.</p>.<p>Among women with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection who received the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine, the levels of antibodies at delivery were lowest after pre-pregnancy or first trimester vaccination and highest after third trimester vaccination; however, the difference wasn't large.</p>.<p>There was no significant difference in anti-spike antibody levels by timing of vaccination among the relatively small number of women who received the Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine.</p>.<p>Among vaccinated women who had a prior history of Covid-19 infection, anti-spike antibody levels at delivery in maternal and cord blood were moderately higher on average, and showed even less of a decline with earlier vaccination timing.</p>.<p>In women that did not receive a complete course of vaccination by time of birth, the levels of anti-spike antibodies in maternal blood and in cord blood were significantly lower than all other cohorts including the earliest vaccinated cohort.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos:</strong></p>