Global Perspectives on Immunization Against SARS-CoV-2 During Pregnancy and Priorities for Future Research: An International Consensus Paper From the World Association of Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders

Bahaa Abu-Raya; Shabir A Madhi; Saad B Omer; Gayatri Amirthalingam; Michelle L Giles; Katie L Flanagan; Petra Zimmermann; Miguel O'Ryan; Marco A Safadi; Vassiliki Papaevangelou; Kirsten Maertens; Nasamon Wanlapakorn; Vicens Diaz-Brito; Eline Tommelein; Susanna Esposito

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.808064

Global Perspectives on Immunization Against SARS-CoV-2 During Pregnancy and Priorities for Future Research: An International Consensus Paper From the World Association of Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders

Front Immunol. 2021 Dec 23:12:808064. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.808064. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Bahaa Abu-Raya¹, Shabir A Madhi^{2

3}, Saad B Omer^{4

5}, Gayatri Amirthalingam⁶, Michelle L Giles^{7

8}, Katie L Flanagan^{9

10

11

12}, Petra Zimmermann^{13

14}, Miguel O'Ryan¹⁵, Marco A Safadi¹⁶, Vassiliki Papaevangelou¹⁷, Kirsten Maertens¹⁸, Nasamon Wanlapakorn¹⁹, Vicens Diaz-Brito²⁰, Eline Tommelein²¹, Susanna Esposito²²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
² South African Medical Research Council, Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³ African Leadership in Vaccinology Expertise, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States.
⁶ Immunisation and Countermeasures Division, National Infection Service, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁸ Department of Infectious Diseases, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
⁹ School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS, Australia.
¹⁰ School of Health and Biomedical Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
¹¹ Department of Immunology and Pathology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
¹² Tasmanian Vaccine Trial Centre, Clifford Craig Foundation, Launceston General Hospital, Launceston, TAS, Australia.
¹³ Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
¹⁴ Department of Paediatrics, Fribourg Hospital HFR, Fribourg, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Microbiology and Mycology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Millennium Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
¹⁶ Department of Pediatrics, Santa Casa de Sao Paulo School of Medical Sciences, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
¹⁷ National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Third Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Attikon, Athens, Greece.
¹⁸ Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination, Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
¹⁹ Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
²⁰ Department of Infectious Diseases, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu,, Barcelona, Spain.
²¹ Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
²² Pediatric Clinic, Pietro Barilla Children's Hospital, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in pregnancy is associated with a higher risk for severe morbidity and mortality when compared with infection in non-pregnant women of childbearing age. An increasing number of countries recommend immunization against SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women. Recent studies provide preliminary and supportive evidence on safety, immunogenicity and effectiveness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in pregnant women; however, important knowledge gaps remain which warrant further studies. This collaborative consensus paper provides a review of the current literature on COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women, identifies knowledge gaps and outlines priorities for future research to optimize protection against SARS-CoV-2 in the pregnant women and their infants.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; maternal immunization; maternal vaccination program; pregnant women.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273 / adverse effects
2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273 / immunology
Ad26COVS1 / adverse effects
Ad26COVS1 / immunology
Adoptive Transfer
Antibodies, Viral / immunology*
BNT162 Vaccine / adverse effects
BNT162 Vaccine / immunology
COVID-19 / immunology
COVID-19 / prevention & control*
COVID-19 Vaccines / adverse effects*
COVID-19 Vaccines / immunology*
Female
Humans
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / prevention & control
Maternal-Fetal Exchange / immunology*
Milk, Human / immunology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / immunology
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / prevention & control
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / virology
SARS-CoV-2 / immunology*
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology
Vaccination
Vaccine Efficacy / statistics & numerical data

Substances

Ad26COVS1
Antibodies, Viral
COVID-19 Vaccines
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
spike protein, SARS-CoV-2
2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273
BNT162 Vaccine