The impact of COVID-19 disease & vaccination on pregnancy and newborns

The impact of COVID-19 disease & vaccination on pregnancy and newborns

Globally, there are limited data on COVID-19 illness and vaccination during pregnancy to inform recommendations for pregnant people and their care providers and to guide public health policies.

For that reason, the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) and CanCOVID are eager to share the latest research from three CITF-supported studies on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination on pregnancy and newborns.

Among the topics to be addressed:

• The increased risk of serious illness requiring hospital admission for pregnant people with a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• The higher risk of consequences to the baby (e.g. premature birth, low birth weight).
• Results from a recent study on pregnancy outcomes among individuals who received COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, compared with unvaccinated individuals.
• The presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in breastmilk and the value of breastfeeding following infection and vaccination.

The results from these studies are communicated regularly to public health officials to help inform decision-making for ongoing COVID-19 vaccine administration programs in Canada.

Please join us for the presentation which will be followed by a panel discussion and a question-and-answer period.

Moderator:

• Tali Bogler, MD, CCFP, MScCH, Staff Physician, Department of Family & Community Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, Chair, Family Medicine Obstetrics, St. Michael's Hospital, and Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Co-Founder, Pandemic Pregnancy Guide

Speakers:

• Catherine Hankins, MD, PhD, Professor of Public and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University
• Deborah Money, MD, FRCSC, Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Medicine, & SPPH, University of British Columbia, and Clinician Scientist, Women’s Health Research Institute, BC Women’s Hospital
• Deshayne Fell, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, and Scientist, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute
• Deborah O’Connor, PhD, Earle W. McHenry Professor, and Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, and Scientist, Translational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, and Scientific Associate Staff, Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital

Joining for Q&A:

• Sharon Unger, MD, FRCPC, Professor, University of Toronto, and Neonatologist, Sinai Health, and Medical Director, Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank