Federal health officials Wednesday supported recommendations for pregnant women to be vaccinated against Covid-19, citing new safety data found. no increased risk of miscarriage Among those vaccinated in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Previous research has found similarly reassuring data for those vaccinated later in pregnancy.
So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the vaccine could be offered during pregnancy; The latest update to the guide strengthens official recommendations, urging pregnant women to get vaccinated.
The new guidance aligns the CDC with recommendations made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other medical specialty groups. strongly recommending the vaccine.
“At this time, the benefits of the vaccine and the known risks of Covid during pregnancy and currently high rates of transmission outweigh the theoretical risks of the vaccine,” said epidemiologist Sascha R. Ellington, who leads the emergency preparedness response team. in reproductive health at CDC
She said the risks of having Covid-19 during pregnancy include serious illness, hospitalization in intensive care, the need for mechanical ventilation, premature birth and death.
There is limited data on birth outcomes so far, as the vaccine has only been available since December. However, the small number of pregnancies followed up to term did not identify any safety signals.
Pregnant women were not included in clinical trials of the vaccines, and uptake of the vaccines was low among pregnant women. The majority of pregnant women seem reluctant to get vaccinated: Only 23 percent of pregnant women had received one or more doses of the vaccine as of May, according to a recent study.
Maternal-foetal medicine specialist in Framingham, Massachusetts, who counsels patients on vaccines almost daily. Adam Urato said pregnant women are very wary of exposure to synthetic chemicals and want more solid scientific evidence that vaccines are safe.
“The one question my patients always ask me is are we absolutely sure these vaccines won’t affect my baby?” said.