Pregnant and Lactating Individuals & Newborns COVID‑19 Vaccination Study
Pregnant individuals are a high-risk population for COVID‑19 disease, with higher rates of disease severity, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and death compared to non-pregnant individuals. COVID‑19 vaccines are one of the most powerful public health interventions to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19, and the inclusion of pregnant and lactating individuals in vaccine studies is critical. The Pregnant and LActating Individuals & Newborns COVID‑19 Vaccination (PLAN-V) Study is a multi-site longitudinal study involving detailed data and sample collection to investigate the impact of COVID‑19 vaccination in pregnancy on the immune responses of vaccinated individuals and their newborns. The PLAN-V Study will build on the successes of our previous study of pregnant individuals diagnosed with COVID‑19 during pregnancy and assessment of placental transmission. We will evaluate the differences in immune response to COVID‑19 vaccination and natural COVID‑19 disease. Finally, to evaluate how pregnancy affects the immune response to COVID‑19 vaccination, we will compare differences in the immune responses following vaccination of pregnant and non-pregnant individuals using data from our team’s funded study on COVID‑19 vaccination in the general population. PLAN-V will provide high-quality, real-time evidence to address key questions about COVID‑19 vaccinations in pregnancy and the impact on newborn immunity. In doing so, the findings from our study will inform vaccine guidelines, support patient counselling by healthcare providers, and empower decision-making by Canadian families.
