Experts are now advising pregnant women should be vaccinated
It's been almost six months since multiple vaccine formulas passed the rigorous testing required and started being rolled out to the general public – but given the newness of COVID-19, it was initially unclear as to whether or not pregnant people (and women of a childbearing age) ought to offered the jab. However, experts have now confirmed it is safe for the majority of expectant mothers to be vaccinated (unless told so directly by their GP or midwife).
The government has also issued updated guidance to say that pregnant women are safe to be vaccinated and stressed that the jab is not only highly effective, but that it doesn't contain any live coronavirus that could potentially infect said pregnant women, or any unborn babies in the womb.
It adds that large studies on expectant mothers have now been carried out with no adverse results, too. "The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that pregnant women should be offered COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as people of the same age or risk group," it writes. "In the USA, around 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated mainly with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and no safety concerns have been identified."
The government advice also says, "Evidence on COVID-19 vaccines is being continuously reviewed by the World Health Organization and the regulatory bodies in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe."
As for which vaccine they're recommending for pregnant folk, it's Pfizer and Moderna that are occupying the top spot. However, the advice adds, "Anyone who has already started vaccination [with another formula] and is [later] offered a second dose whilst pregnant, should have a second dose with the same vaccine unless they had a serious side effect after the first dose."
The decision to ask pregnant people to hold off from being vaccinated during the early days of the roll-out does not appear to have been made because of any specific known dangers, but rather because experts did not want to advise the jab until more solid data on how it could impact a pregnant person exists. Essentially, they were erring on the side of caution (something which will hopefully also help to reassure anybody with concerns).
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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