Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 7;9(1):e003109.
doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2024-003109.

Influence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and maternal vaccination status on neonatal outcome

Nadine Mand  1 , Ulrich Pecks  2 , Matthias Hutten  3 , Rolf Felix Maier  4 , Mario Rüdiger  5 ; CRONOS Network
Affiliations

Influence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and maternal vaccination status on neonatal outcome

Nadine Mand et al. BMJ Paediatr Open. .

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy can adversely affect maternal and neonatal health, although risks vary depending on the variant of concern (VOC). Omicron, although highly infectious, causes fewer maternal and neonatal complications than earlier VOC, so vaccination may be considered unnecessary in planned pregnancy. Using data from the CRONOS registry, we compared pregnancy outcomes according to VOC and vaccination status. We found that vaccination during pregnancy reduced preterm birth rates compared with unvaccinated or vaccinated women with Omicron infection, without increasing severe neonatal outcomes. Given the risks associated with preterm birth, the study consistently supports vaccination recommendations for women planning pregnancy.

Keywords: COVID-19; Neonatology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

References

    1. Boettcher LB, Metz TD. Maternal and neonatal outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Semin Fetal Neonat Med 2023;28:101428. 10.1016/j.siny.2023.101428 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vousden N, Ramakrishnan R, Bunch K, et al. Severity of maternal infection and perinatal outcomes during periods of SARS-CoV-2 wildtype, alpha, and delta variant dominance in the UK: prospective cohort study. BMJ Med 2022;1:e000053. 10.1136/bmjmed-2021-000053 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stock SJ, Moore E, Calvert C, et al. Pregnancy outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection in periods dominated by delta and omicron variants in Scotland: a population-based cohort study. Lancet Respir Med 2022;10:1129–36. 10.1016/S2213-2600(22)00360-5 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mand N, Rüdiger M, Hütten M, et al. Vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 - data from the German COVID-19 related obstetric and neonatal outcome study (CRONOS). J Perinat Med 2024;52:202–9. 10.1515/jpm-2023-0299 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pecks U, Mand N, Kolben T, et al. SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Pregnancy. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2022;119:588–94. 10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0266 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Substances

Supplementary concepts