Pregnancy Increases Risk Of Getting COVID-19 Even When Fully Vaccinated, According To Study

A study from Epic Research found that pregnancy, along with other comorbidities, can increase the chance of getting a breakthrough COVID-19 infection.

A breakthrough COVID-19 infection is defined as a group of fully vaccinated individuals who are still susceptible to a COVID-19 infection if they are exposed to the virus.

Authors of the study reviewed over 10 million medical records of patients who suffer from various comorbidities, from liver disease to mental health issues, and deduced risks of contracting COVID even if fully vaccinated. It was found that pregnant women were linked with the highest risk, while those with cardiovascular and immune system irregularities also had increased chances of getting the virus.

“Pregnant individuals are 1.91 times more likely to have a breakthrough infection, individuals with a solid organ transplant are 1.83 times more likely, and individuals with an immune system deficiency are 1.63 times more likely,” the authors of the study wrote. “If you are fully vaccinated and become pregnant, you remain at higher risk of acquiring covid.”

The data from this study contradicts previous reports about COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy.

Earlier this year, Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explained that the chances of an infant below six months being hospitalized due to COVID is reduced to around 60% if the mother received two shots of either mRNA vaccine [Pfizer or Moderna].

The health agency referred to its findings as “highly welcome,” and that “maternal vaccination is a really important way to help protect the young infants.”