Contracting Covid-19 or being vaccinated against it during pregnancy does not increase the risk of child developmental health issues, research indicates.
A study of the majority of children born in Scotland during the pandemic – 25,000 babies – found no link between concerns with a child’s development at 13 to 15 months and the mother contracting the virus during pregnancy.
Receiving the vaccine while pregnant also had no connection with issues in the infants in developing skills such as speech, thinking, movement and language, the Edinburgh University study found.
Researcher Iain Hardie said: “Our study suggests that neither SARS-CoV-2 infection, nor Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy impact foetal brain development and subsequent child development up to age 13-15 months.
“These important findings can help inform clinical guidance, and reassure pregnant individuals of the safety of Covid-19 vaccines.”
The team linked data from a previous Covid-19 in Pregnancy in Scotland study on virus infections and Covid-19 vaccinations while pregnant to developmental concerns raised at routine health reviews.
The reviews recorded concerns with a child’s development aged 13-15 months raised by the parents, caregivers or health visitors.
Researchers found no evidence of a link between developmental concerns at that age and their mothers having either contracted Covid-19 or been vaccinated against it during pregnancy, regardless of the trimester the infection or vaccination occurred.
The study assessed the majority of children born in Scotland during the pandemic – those conceived after May 18 2020 and born before September 30 2021 – and their mothers.
The research, in partnership with Public Health Scotland, was conducted as part of the wider Covid-19 Health Impact on long-term Child Development in Scotland (Childs) study.
Principal researcher and originator of the Childs study, Bonnie Auyeung, said: “We are delighted that our work has been recognised by the Lancet as a valuable contribution to the global body of evidence about the impact of Covid-19.
“What is particularly novel about this study is its scale. This is because our partnership with Public Health Scotland enabled us to include the vast majority of children born in Scotland during the pandemic.
“To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind, internationally. It illustrates the enormous value of an integrated health service which is ready to partner with researchers like ourselves to further globally significant research.”
The team plans to examine the same group of children at 27-30 months and four-to-five years as some development concerns do not emerge until after 15 months.
The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.