1. SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness in preventing confirmed infection in pregnant women
- Author
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Adeel A. Butt, Anvar Hassan Kaleeckal, Hiam Chemaitelly, Laith J. Abu-Raddad, Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, Abdullatif Al Khal, Peter Coyle, Ali Nizar Latif, Roberto Bertollini, and Huda Abdullah Hussain Saleh
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Disease ,Pregnancy ,Epidemiology ,medicine ,Humans ,Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ,Vaccines, Synthetic ,SARS-CoV-2 ,business.industry ,Obstetrics ,Public health ,Vaccination ,COVID-19 ,Gestational age ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Cohort ,Gestation ,Female ,Clinical Medicine ,business - Abstract
BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications and neonatal respiratory distress and hospitalization. Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in pregnant women is not known. METHODS: All women with confirmed pregnancy who presented to the national referral hospital in Qatar between December 20, 2020, and May 30, 2021, with at least 1 SARS-CoV-2 test and not testing prior to pregnancy were included. We determined the vaccine effectiveness of mRNA vaccines in preventing confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy using both cohort and test-negative case-control designs. Analyses were adjusted for age group, nationality, and gestational age. RESULTS: Among 4534 pregnant women, there were 407 vaccinated and 407 unvaccinated women in the matched cohort analysis. Vaccine effectiveness was 87.6% (95%CI 44.1%–97.2%) at least 14 days after the second dose. There were 386 test-positive and 834 matched women in the test-negative case control analysis. Vaccine effectiveness was 86.8% (95%CI 47.5%–98.5%) at least 14 days after the second dose. Adjustment for age, nationality, and gestational age yielded similar results for both designs. In the test-negative analysis, vaccine effectiveness at least 14 days after the first dose but before the second dose was 40.8% (95% CI 0.0%–80.4%). Of the 386 test-positive pregnant women, 74 cases were Alpha variant, 163 cases were Beta variant, and 156 cases were variants of unknown status. There were 9 severe or critical disease cases and no deaths in the test-positive pregnant women, all of whom were unvaccinated. CONCLUSION: The mRNA vaccines provide a high level of protection against documented SARS-CoV-2 infection, which supports the inclusion of pregnant women in vaccination campaigns. FUNDING: Hamad Medical Corporation, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, and the Ministry of Public Health Qatar.
- Published
- 2021
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