NEW DELHI: A group of researchers in Germany has called for ensuring that all pregnant women are vaccinated against Covid-19 after a study hinted at damage to the fetus in expecting mothers who had contracted the infection in the third trimester.
According to a study, published in The Lancet, in pregnant women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, normalised foetal lung volume was significantly reduced compared with age-adjusted reference values in the absence of structural abnormalities or organ infarction, and was unexplained by differences in somatic growth.
“The time point of infection showed significant effects on foetal lung growth, with reduced lung volumes observed with SARS-CoV-2 infections acquired during the third trimester,” the researchers found. The study involved 34 pregnant women.
Follow-up in 21 (62%) of the 34 babies delivered by them showed adequate birthweight for gestational age and no indication of acute postnatal respiratory distress, according to The Lancet report.
Dr Mala Srivastava, associate consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital told TOI that the sample size for the research was too small to reach a conclusion. “SARS-CoV-2 is a new virus and it will take a long time to understand the full spectrum of long-term health consequences it can cause. We need not panic. However, it may be wise to take maximum possible precautions,” she said.
Dr Srivastava stressed on the need to prioritise pregnant women for a third additional dose or booster dose against Covid-19.
Dr Arun Gupta, a paediatrician and the president of Delhi Medical Council, also said that while there is no reason to panic, it is advisable to follow Covid protocols for the vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, and ensure inoculation against the viral infection. In the Lancet study, researchers argue that the reduction in foetal volume seen in MRI was dependent on the time point of infection, indicating that the most significant results occurred in the third trimester, thereby overlapping with the saccular stage of lung development.
As cases of Covid-19 surge in various parts of the world, many people who are worried about a similar increase in cases in India, say an additional third dose – which is currently allowed only for people above 60 years of age – should be allowed for all. “India doesn’t have any shortage of vaccines. Then, why delay the vaccination? We now know that vaccine-induced immunity against the coronavirus wanes over a period, from six to eight months,” Dr Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis C-Doc, told TOI recently.
Countries like Israel, the US and the UK have already administered three doses of the vaccines against Covid-19 to their citizens and they are now moving towards allowing an additional fourth dose of the vaccine in view of the surge in cases. On Tuesday, the US FDA authorised a second booster of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid shot for people aged 50 and older.
