COVID-19 and Pregnancy.

It is of greatest concern how COVID-19 is affecting pregnancy, mothers, and babies. Scientists are studying the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and babies and are understanding a little more every day. Reports show that there is an increased risk in pregnant women compared to nonpregnant women to get more serious illness due to COVID-19. Researchers are also investigating COVID-19 and its potential impact on a fetus. There are exceedingly rare cases of COVID-19 transmission to the fetus, and newborns can pick up COVID-19 when exposed. Vaccines are proved to be safe for pregnant women and help prevent both mother and the fetus from getting COVID-19 and are also highly effective to prevent COVID-19 infection, critical sickness, and fatalities in general. There are specific guidelines for labor and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic which are to be imposed and followed to achieve safer and healthier childbirth. In this article, the overall influence of COVID-19 in pregnancy, its pathophysiology, effects on placenta and neonates, maternal and perinatal features and outcomes, the role of vaccination, available treatment options, and the guidelines to be followed during the pandemic are discussed based on the available scientific evidence.

Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 infection elicits cross-protective immunity in people who received boosters or infected with variant strains.

INTRODUCTION: The B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of SARS-CoV-2 is the most antigenically unique SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern to date, which is currently widespread across the world. Omicron variant and its sublineages contain a plethora of mutations than other variants of concern, which increases their transmissibility and virulence. Concerns regarding potential immunological evasion have been reignited by emerging subvariants of the Omicron variant. Determining the effectiveness of Omicron-induced immunity and whether it is cross-protective against other variants is a crucial aspect of the research. METHOD: A systematic search of relevant articles until September 25, 2022, from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect was done independently by two authors. A total of 11 articles discussing about immunological evasion of different Omicron subvariants were included in the study. RESULTS: Numerous studies have demonstrated that Omicron variant causes a restricted immune response after infection. Omicron infection boosts preexisting vaccine-induced immunity, but it may not be enough to establish widespread, cross-neutralizing humoral immunity in unvaccinated people. CONCLUSION: Due to co-circulation and the emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants, findings highlight the importance of booster vaccinations for immune protection. More studies should focus on the efficacy of Omicron-induced immunity, its cross-protective properties against other variants, and development of a universal vaccine.