Grant: Operating Grant: Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps and Priorities - Vaccines

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.