One of the most pressing questions we are facing now is whether pregnant women should be vaccinated against Covid-19. We have seen a recent surge in serious cases, particularly among pregnant women, making the question an urgent one. So what should be done? Well, it depends who you ask.
At a press conference yesterday, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said that 20,000 pregnant women have been administered a vaccine “with no red flags.”
Fauci added that trials of the vaccine’s effect on pregnant women and children are underway, and that the picture should become clearer soon.
Current guidance from the CDC says that pregnant women should have “a discussion with a healthcare provider” to “help them make an informed decision.”
In its guidance the CDC writes, “Observational data demonstrate that, while the chances for these severe health effects are low, pregnant people with COVID-19 have an increased risk of severe illness, including illness that results in ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death compared with non-pregnant women of reproductive age. Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 might be at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, compared with pregnant women without COVID-19.”
Despite the lack of large trials to determine the effect of Covid-19 vaccines on pregnant women, Dr. Fauci himself appears to be confident that it poses little to no additional risk for expectant mothers, based on his aforementioned comments.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend vaccinating all pregnant women, despite the CDC’s data showing that they are at somewhat elevated risk for complications.
“While pregnancy puts women at a higher risk of severe COVID-19, the use of this vaccine in pregnant women is currently not recommended, unless they are at risk of high exposure,” the WHO says in its guidance.
But, despite this being the official position of the WHO, their director of immunization, Kate O’Brien, said, “There is no reason to think there could be a problem in pregnancy, we are just acknowledging the data [to establish confidence in its safety for pregnant women] isn’t there yet.”
So, should pregnant women get the vaccine? According to the experts, it appears safe. There still isn’t enough evidence of its safety for pregnant women for them to confidently say so, but they seem to be sure that the data will show that it is indeed safe for pregnant women. For now, pregnant women need to have a discussion with their doctor whether they should get it or not.
There have been anecdotal reports of pregnant women having issues after getting a vaccine, but apparently doctors either do not believe, or have evidence that there is not, a link between the vaccines and those reports. I am not a doctor or any sort of expert on vaccines, but, based on what the scientists are saying, it is safe to assume at this point that those who are making claims about the vaccine causing miscarriages are spreading conjecture, not fact.
As the saying goes “The plural of anecdote is not data”