The following is a summary of “Maternal COVID-19 vaccination and 6-month infant developmental outcomes,” published in the FEBRUARY 2023 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology by Duggal R, et al.

For a prospective cohort study, researchers sought to assess the safety of maternal COVID-19 vaccination on infant developmental outcomes. 

The study enrolled 40 pregnant patients, of whom 21 received COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and 14 did not. The patients were contacted six months after delivery for completion of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3), a validated tool to assess developmental outcomes. Summations of scores in five domains, namely gross motor, fine motor, communication, problem-solving, and personal social, were calculated. Scores above the given cutoffs were characterized as “on schedule.” 

Of 35 patients who completed follow-up surveys, 21 were vaccinated, and 14 were unvaccinated. Patients in the vaccinated group were more likely to be older, non-White, have private insurance, and have a greater median gestational age at delivery (39.7 [IQR 38.3 – 40.3] vs. 37.9 [IQR 37.4 – 39.4]; P=0.05). The results showed no significant differences in the percentage of infants scoring “on schedule” in gross motor (76.2% vs. 85.7%; P>0.05), fine motor (90.5% vs. 92.9%; P>0.05), communication (95.2% vs. 100%; P>0.05), problem-solving (95.2% vs. 92.9%; P>0.05), or personal social (100% vs. 100%; P>0.05) domains between infants whose mothers had received the vaccine and those that did not, respectively.

In conclusion, the study found no significant associations between COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and 6-month infant developmental outcomes.

Reference: ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(22)01008-0/fulltext