ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The immediate postpartum period, during delivery hospitalization, represents a unique opportunity to offer coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination to those who did not previously receive it. In this study, we evaluated patient characteristics associated with acceptance of vaccination in this group. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study evaluated all unvaccinated patients who were offered postpartum COVID-19 vaccination during delivery hospitalization between May 2021 and September 2021 at seven hospitals within a large integrated health system in New York. During the study period, each hospitalized, unvaccinated obstetrical patient was offered the vaccine prior to discharge. Patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing during hospitalization were excluded. Medical records were reviewed to obtain sociodemographic characteristics and to confirm administration of COVID-19 vaccination. Multiple logistic regression was performed to model the probability of receiving postpartum vaccination. RESULTS: A total of 8,281 unvaccinated postpartum patients were included for analysis and 412 (5%) received a COVID-19 vaccine before hospital discharge. Patients who received the vaccine were more likely to be older, have private insurance, decline to answer questions about religious affiliation, and deliver in the final two months of the study period. Likelihood of receiving postpartum vaccination was not affected by race-ethnicity, preferred language, marital status, parity, body mass index, or neighborhood socioeconomic conditions. Patients who declined vaccination were more likely to have positive SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing at delivery compared to those who received vaccination (49 vs. 29%; p < .001). CONCLUSION: Only 5% of unvaccinated postpartum patients received a COVID-19 vaccine before hospital discharge. It is concerning that patients with public health insurance were less likely to receive vaccination. This may be due to variation in vaccine counseling or other unmeasured factors. Despite the low acceptance rate in our study population, COVID-19 vaccination should be offered in a variety of clinical settings to maximize opportunities for administration.
ABSTRACT
The effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on placental tissue is unclear. We present a case of symptomatic first trimester SARS-CoV-2 infection in which longitudinal ultrasound images demonstrated diffuse areas of echogenic foci. Her 39-week delivery, following an elective induction of labor, was uncomplicated, and placental pathol-ogy evaluation noted extensive calcifications. Such findings are sometimes seen in late and post-term pregnancies and those complicated by smoking, hypertensive disorders, diabetes, and viral infections. In this case, no other potential etiology was identified. Thus, we conclude that placental calcifications may be associated with SAR-CoV-2 infection in early pregnancy.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: There are limited published data on the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus from mothers to newborns through breastfeeding or from breast milk. The World Health Organization released guidelines encouraging mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to breastfeed as the benefits of breastfeeding outweighs the possible risk of transmission. The objective of this study was to determine if SARS-CoV-2 was present in the breast milk of lactating mothers who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swab test prior to delivery, and the clinical outcomes for their newborns. STUDY DESIGN: This was a single-center, observational, prospective cohort study. Maternal-newborn dyads that delivered at New York University Langone Hospital Brooklyn with confirmed maternal SARS-CoV-2 positive screen test at the time of admission were recruited for the study. Breast milk samples were collected during postpartum hospitalization and tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genes N1 and N2 by two-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, the clinical characteristics of the maternal newborn dyad, results of nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 testing, and neonatal follow-up data were collected. RESULTS: A total of 19 mothers were included in the study and their infants who were all fed breast milk. Breast milk samples from 18 mothers tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, and 1 was positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The infant who ingested the breast milk that tested positive had a negative nasopharyngeal test for SARS-CoV-2, and had a benign clinical course. There was no evidence of significant clinical infection during the hospital stay or from outpatient neonatal follow-up data for all the infants included in this study. CONCLUSION: In a small cohort of SARS-CoV-2 positive lactating mothers giving birth at our institution, most of their breast milk samples (95%) contained no detectable virus, and there was no evidence of COVID-19 infection in their breast milk-fed neonates. KEY POINTS: · Breast milk may rarely contain detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA and was not detected in asymptomatic mothers.. · Breast milk with detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA from a symptomatic mother had no clinical significance for her infant.. · Breast feeding with appropriate infection control instructions appears to be safe in mother with COVID infection..