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Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
Vaccinating women during pregnancy can protect their babies from Covid-19, it has emerged.

A new study has found that Covid-19 vaccination in pregnant women, from midterm to late stage generates anti-spike antibodies that can protect the baby from the coronavirus, contrary to claims that it is dangerous to do so.

According to experts, expecting mothers can be vaccinated and take booster shots, as part of efforts to lessen the risk of infection.

A recent study from Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States showed that vaccination during pregnancy resulted in more lasting antibody levels in infants when compared to babies born to unvaccinated mothers infected with Covid-19.

Researchers said that these anti-spike antibodies could be detected in the umbilical cord blood and protect infants from Covid-19.

The study was limited to individuals vaccinated against Covid-19 or infected with the virus from 20 to 32 weeks of pregnancy.

Researchers collected blood samples of infants born to vaccinated mothers when the infants were two months old and also collected samples from these infants at six months of age, as well as from six-month-old infants born to mothers who had Covid-19 during pregnancy.

The results showed that at delivery, vaccinated mothers had higher levels of anti-spike antibodies than mothers who had Covid-19 during pregnancy.

At two months of age, 48 out of 49 (98 percent) of the babies of vaccinated mothers had detectable levels of antibodies.

At six months, 16 of 28 (57 percent) of the babies of vaccinated mothers had detectable levels of antibodies, compared to 1 of 12 (8 percent) of babies born to mothers who had Covid-19.

However, the researchers noted that infants are more likely to be severely affected by Covid-19 than older children, adding that Covid-19 vaccines currently were not planned for babies younger than six months.

Meanwhile, health experts are struggling to inoculate expectant mothers as vaccine hesitancy is rife among pregnant women across the country.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has said lower numbers among the pregnant women demography have opted for vaccination, a development that health ministry officials said is slowing down the drive towards herd immunity.

Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Maphios Siamuchembu said there was vaccine hesitancy among expectant women as well as breast feeding mothers mainly owing to misinformation about vaccines.

He said the ministry was intensifying Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) efforts to ensure that misinformation is countered through the dissemination of factual information on vaccines.

Dr Siamuchembu said some women were discouraged by consent forms signed at vaccination centres, which he said was standard procedure for expectant mothers.

“We are experiencing vaccine hesitancy among expectant and lactating mothers. There is reluctance to take the vaccine and most of this has to do with information circulating in the communities about vaccines, which is not true. As a mitigatory effort, we are intensifying our RCCE efforts in order to ensure that fake news and misinformation is eradicated in our communities.”

He encouraged Zimbabweans to follow health and safety guidelines and information that is disseminated by health officials in the city as guided by World Health Organisation guidelines on Covid-19.

“Our outreach teams conducting door to door activities and visiting busy areas such as markets, streets, supermarkets and hard to reach peri urban areas. These have helped get the right information to people and we hope that pregnant women will make better informed choices on their health,” said Dr Siamuchembu. — @Yolisswa