CDC urges pregnant people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as possible

Health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are begging pregnant women to be vaccinated against covid-19. In a new urgent health notice released this week, the CDC says only about a third of those people have been fully vaccinated. Research has shown that vaccines do not increase the risk of health problems like miscarriages, while contracting covid-19 can be dangerous for the parent and the fetus.

Prior to their clearance in the United States and elsewhere from late last year, no data had been collected on the safety of covid-19 vaccines for pregnant people, which have historically been excluded from clinical trials. new drugs and vaccines, often without clear justification. . It was a gap that the experts had lamented even during the pivotal tests used to obtain their authorization, and some warned that this might cause some hesitation among these people.

Clinical trials of vaccines specifically targeting pregnant women have since been launched, although none appear to have been completed for the moment. However, real data has been collected on the outcome of pregnant women after vaccination. Research from the CDC and other scientists has find no link between vaccination and an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as stillbirth, miscarriage or premature birth compared to the general public. Other studies have even suggested that pregnant women who get the vaccine can then circulate specific antibodies of the coronavirus to their fetus in the womb or to their newborn by breastfeeding, offering some temporary protection in case they catch covid-19. Vaccination is recommended for anyone who is pregnant, planning to become pregnant or is currently breastfeeding.

Meanwhile, studies dating back to the last year have found that pregnant women higher risks serious illness, death and complications in childbirth if they contract covid-19. According to the CDC, more than 125,000 cases of covid-19 in pregnant people were documented in the United States at the end of September. Of these, more than 22,000 were hospitalized and 161 eventually died. And with the latest wave of the Delta variant fueled pandemic arriving this summer, the danger has increased. In August alone, 22 American women died while infected and pregnant.

Overall, 65% of Americans over 12 have been fully immunized. But the same is true for only 31% of pregnant women, a situation that prompted the CDC to make this appeal to the public.

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“Pregnancy can be both a special time and a stressful time – and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. declaration accompanying the board. “I strongly encourage women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant to discuss the protective benefits of covid with their health care provider.-19 vaccine to ensure the safety of their babies and themselves.

The CDC is also calling on local health agencies and health providers to participate and do their part to encourage immunizations for pregnant women.