COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations and Maternal Vaccination Among Infants Aged <6 Months — COVID-NET, 12 States, October 2022–April 2024
Infants aged <6 months are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease but are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination; these children depend upon transplacental transfer of maternal antibody, either from vaccination or infection, for protection. COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) data were analyzed to estimate COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates and identify demographic and clinical characteristics and maternal vaccination status of infants aged <6 months hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. During October 2022-April 2024, COVID-NET identified 1,470 COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among infants aged <6 months. COVID-19-associated hospitalization rates among young infants were higher than rates among any other age group, except adults aged ≥75 years, and are comparable to rates among adults aged 65-74 years. The percentage of hospitalized infants whose mothers had been vaccinated during pregnancy was 18% during October 2022-September 2023 and decreased to <5% during October 2023-April 2024. Severe outcomes among infants hospitalized with COVID-19 occurred frequently: excluding newborns hospitalized at birth, approximately one in five young infants hospitalized with COVID-19 required admission to an intensive care unit, nearly one in 20 required mechanical ventilation, and nine infants died during their COVID-19-associated hospitalization. To help protect pregnant persons and infants too young to be vaccinated, prevention for these groups should focus on ensuring that pregnant persons receive recommended COVID-19 vaccines.
Authors
- Lucy S Witt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1475-6952)
- Kimberly Yousey‐Hindes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9418-575X)
- Susan L. Ropp
- Ruth Lynfield (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7741-1284)
- Daniel M. Sosin
- Patricia Ryan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4256-2816)
- Monica E. Patton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0577-4377)
- William Schaffner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1375-8078)
- Maya Monroe
- Jennifer Milucky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1491-4669)
- Paige D’Heilly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9405-8605)
- Shua J. Chai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2048-2871)
- Bhoomija Chatwani
- Erin Licherdell
- Elizabeth M. McCormick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5478-8046)
- Brenda L. Tesini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6051-0027)
- Fiona P. Havers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9873-6195)
- Darpun Sachdev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7309-8091)
- Andrea George
- H. Keipp Talbot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0141-1760)
- Kerianne Engesser
- Nisha B. Alden (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8128-7714)
- Kyle P. Openo
- Holly Staten
- Bridget J. Anderson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1233-3780)
- S. R. Hawkins
- Lauren Leegwater (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0888-7529)
- Michael Whitaker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-0519)
- Breanna Kawasaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7168-6965)
- Emily Zmek
- Christopher A. Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0937-5461)
- Melissa Sutton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8817-8724)
Publication Details
- Journal
- MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- Published
- 2024-09-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7338a1
- Citations
- 16
- Primary Topic
- COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 9.32
Funders
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services