This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the neonatal outcomes of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. Fifteen studies were included, encompassing data from 90,443 vaccinated and 265,063 unvaccinated pregnant women. The meta-analysis revealed a lower incidence of preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), and low 5-minute Apgar scores (<7) in newborns whose mothers received the COVID-19 vaccine. No increased risk of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission or other adverse neonatal outcomes was observed. Vaccination before the third trimester showed a potentially stronger protective effect on preterm birth and low Apgar scores. Limitations include the lack of randomized controlled trials and limited data on certain neonatal outcomes.

Dingning Zhang, Tingting Huang, Zhihui Chen, Lulu Zhang, Qi Gao, Ge Liu, Jun Zheng, Fangrui Ding