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MSNBC’s Katy Tur had been debating getting the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant. According to New York’s eligibility criteria, she was eligible to be vaccinated – and she knew that pregnant women were at a significantly higher risk of serious illness and death if they contracted the virus. But since the vaccines had not yet been tested on pregnant women, she was unsure whether she should be vaccinated.
That all changed when Tur, 37, had a ‘fear of COVID’ at home.
“As a pregnant woman – I’m 7 months old now – once upon a time, I thought that I would probably be at the end of the line, that I wouldn’t get the vaccine until I had the baby,” she explained on her show, MSNBC Live with Katy Tur, Thursday. “But after a recent fear of COVID at home and conversations with several doctors… I signed up and today I got stuck.”
RELATED: Pregnant Women Have a Higher Risk of Death from COVID – Though the Overall Risk is Low
Tur, who is expecting a daughter with husband Tony Dokoupil to join their 21-month-old son Theodore, aka “Teddy,” shared the news on March 11, 2021, the anniversary of the day COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and American life really changed.
“I can hardly believe it, a year ago, or a year since this country went into lockdown, we already have several vaccines that are extraordinarily effective against this virus. And as of today, I’m halfway to a full vaccination, ”she mentioned.
Tur said to overcome her hesitation, she spoke to several doctors about getting the vaccine while pregnant. They pointed out that pregnant women get vaccinated with no adverse outcome and that COVID-19 during pregnancy carries a lot more risk.
“I thought the science behind vaccine development and the safety in theory was compelling, and the risks of contracting COVID so far outweighed the risks of taking the vaccine,” Tur said. Today Parents. “It was just hammered home [when] we had a COVID fear in my house last week. I just thought, “I did a year without getting this; God forbid, I understand right away. “
RELATED: ‘Why I’m Getting Vaccinated:’ Pregnant Doctor Who Felt ‘Relieved’ to Get Vaccinated After Weeks of Debate
US Doctors Now Strongly Recommend Pregnant Women Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Centers for Disease Control saying there is “no theoretical reason” for which the vaccine would be dangerous. to the mother or the fetus.
RELATED VIDEO: Fully Immunized People May Spend Time Together Unmasked, CDC Says in New Guidelines
Part of the emergency is because pregnant women are at a significantly higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. A recent study of more than 400,000 women with COVID-19 found that those who were pregnant had a 70% greater risk of death than non-pregnant women, nearly three times more likely to require intensive care and more than three times more likely to need a fan. However, the overall risk of death or serious illness from COVID-19 in pregnant women is low.
RELATED: First COVID-19 Vaccine Trial for Pregnant Women Underway
COVID-19 vaccines were not initially tested on pregnant women because researchers wanted to focus on creating a vaccine that would work for the general population. However, 23 women participating in the Pfizer vaccine trial became pregnant after receiving the vaccine, and none had any adverse effects. Pfizer is currently conducting a large-scale clinical trial of its vaccine in 4,000 pregnant women aged 18 and over, who are between 24 and 34 weeks gestation. Half of the women will receive the vaccine, while the other half will receive a placebo.
“Pregnant women have an increased risk of complications and of developing severe COVID-19, which is why it is essential that we develop a safe and effective vaccine for this population,” said Dr. William Gruber, senior vice president of Vaccine Clinical Research and Development for Pfizer.
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