The effects of both Covid-19 infection and the Covid vaccine during pregnancy on developing foetuses is to be examined as part of a cross-border study.
Infection and vaccine uptake data on pregnant women in both the north and the Republic will be combined and compared to 19 other European countries in order to explore any possible association with the rates of abnormalities in foetal development.
The study is to be carried out by researchers from Ulster University and University College Cork, with €200,000 from the Republic’s Shared Island funding.
A recent survey found that only 58% of new and expectant mothers in the Republic had been vaccinated against Covid.
The team say that although a lot of data is available on the risks of Covid during late pregnancy, more research is needed on infection, treatment and vaccination in the early stages.
One of the goals of the study is to create an all-Ireland database based on weekly infection and vaccination data for pregnant women.
Dr Maria Loane, a senior research fellow at Ulster University’s Institute of Nursing and Health Research, said: “This research will provide evidence to inform women and healthcare providers about the balance of risks and benefits of Covid-19 infection and vaccines in the first trimester of pregnancy”.
In 2022, the north’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride urged pregnant women to get vaccinated in order to reduce the risk of birth complications resulting from Covid-19 infection.
That followed a study by University of Edinburgh researchers showing that contracting Covid in late pregnancy increases the risk of preterm births, stillbirths and newborn deaths.
