A new study is looking at how coronavirus vaccines affect pregnant women, new moms and their babies. 

Mira Shastry says it was a no-brainer to sign her son and herself up for the National Institute of Health’s study that measures how much COVID-19 protection babies can get from their vaccinated mothers.

“It just was such an easy way to help and especially the last two years, there’s not a lot individuals can do, especially without medical training like myself, to fight against COVID and this seemed like a great opportunity,” said Shastry. 

This is an opportunity NYU Langone Brooklyn Infectious Disease doctor and study site leader Lalitha Parameswaran says can save lives. 

“One of our biggest goals is to reassure the pregnant women that these vaccines are very safe in pregnancy, they’re helpful to your newborn, they protect your newborn,” said Dr. Parameswaran. 

The CDC reports that pregnant women are 70% more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who aren’t pregnant yet--only about 30% of pregnant women are vaccinated. 

The city’s branch of the national study has about 50 women signed up between the Brooklyn and Manhattan NYU hospitals. 

Researchers say they’re still looking for participants and trying to get flyers into the hands of people who are pregnant and have received the vaccine or booster while pregnant or within two months after giving birth. 

The study started in August and is expected to last until mid 2023.