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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made their strongest appeal yet for pregnant women: get the COVID-19 vaccine. And healthcare providers nationwide are echoing the agency’s recommendation by urging their patients to protect themselves and their babies from the deadly virus.
“If you are pregnant, you absolutely need to get the vaccine as soon as possible,” Dr. Shikha Jain, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told Yahoo Finance Live. “We know that the virus is very dangerous for pregnant women and potentially even their unborn babies and that the vaccine is very safe. We have seen this around the world in vaccines given to pregnant women. “
The urgent advice from the CDC and healthcare providers follows data showing symptomatic pregnant women with COVID-19 are more than twice as likely to require intensive care admission and invasive ventilation, as well a risk of death increased by 70%.
As of September 27, more than 125,000 pregnant women had been infected with COVID-19, resulting in more than 22,000 hospitalizations and 161 deaths. And August was the deadliest month in the pandemic on record for pregnant women, with a total of 22 deaths.
Despite data showing that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women, many women have refused to be vaccinated. According to CDC data, less than a third have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I have said to every one of my friends, my colleagues, to everyone who has asked me, if they are pregnant, they should definitely get the vaccine,” Jain said. “I know a lot of my colleagues who were pregnant very early on, they all got vaccinated and not a single one regretted it.”
The decision to remain unvaccinated by the majority of pregnant women has resulted in an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth, preterm birth and admission to neonatal intensive care units, according to the CDC.
Booster shots for pregnant women could “come in the future”
For the 31% of pregnant women who are vaccinated, the next question is whether or not a booster should be given. So far, the CDC has not recommended a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for those waiting for it, but that could change soon, according to Jain.
“I think this is something that we will have to discuss and deepen. We know that pregnancy in general puts you at risk of being a little more immunocompromised than if you weren’t pregnant, ”Jain said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this recommendation came in the future.”
“But right now the most important thing I want to stress is that if you are pregnant you absolutely need to get the vaccine as soon as possible,” Jain added. “The pregnant women we see in the hospital who are very sick are the ones who are not vaccinated. “
Seana smith anchors Yahoo Finance Live’s 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET program. Follow her on Twitter @SeanaNSmith
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