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Despite persistent calls from public health officials to get vaccinated as coronavirus infections continue to rise, an incredibly low number of pregnant people have been vaccinated against the virus nationwide.
In the United States, only 25% of pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 49 are currently vaccinated with at least one dose, according to data through September 11 compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The decision not to be vaccinated has resulted in a growing number of pregnant women ending up in intensive care units, many of them critically ill with COVID-19. This disturbing increase has been particularly evident in Mississippi, where state health officials have sounded the alarm not only about the influx of fetal and maternal deaths, but also about several reports making state of pregnant women refused to be vaccinated.
“Some of the patients told us that they had gone to be vaccinated and that they had been turned away because they were pregnant. These were people who were simply sharing their experiences in pharmacies and in other parts of the country. the state, “said Dr. Michelle Owens, a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, told ABC News.
Owens, alongside other state health officials, reported this week that not all of their patients had been shy about getting the vaccine, but were instead turned down after revealing they were getting vaccinated. were waiting.
“People are kind of hostile to pregnant patients when they arrive. They are reluctant to give medication to pregnant patients, and certainly vaccinations fall into that,” said Dr. Marty Tucker, president of obstetrics and gynecology. at the UMMC, during a press conference on Thursday.
In light of worrying reports, state health officer Dr Thomas Dobbs last week issued a standing order for women to receive COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy, “to reassure the pharmacy for locations that are correct and recommended for pregnant women to be vaccinated at any stage of pregnancy.
Owens added that health officials and doctors are all working together “to help lower barriers to immunization for pregnant women, and we’ve just really tried to amplify that information so that wherever a pregnant person goes to.” receive care or receive a vaccine that they are welcomed with open arms and that they receive this vaccine. “
In Mississippi, 72 patients suffered a late miscarriage and 15 pregnant women succumbed to the virus, more than half of whom have died since late July. None of the pregnant women who died were fully vaccinated and the majority were overweight, according to Dobbs.
“There are neonatal intensive care units across the country filling up with babies who won’t know their mothers, and it’s devastating. There are families who are losing their matriarchs, and then there are women who have been infected with this virus that will never be the same again, ”Owens said.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 21,000 pregnant people have been hospitalized across the country and at least 155 have died from COVID-19, according to federal data. In addition, there have been at least 266 miscarriages nationwide and about 10.3% of patients had to give birth prematurely.
“When we lose a mom, especially something that could be avoided, it’s a tragedy. It doesn’t discriminate, we see it in people with and without comorbidities. We see it in people as young as 23 years old. , so this is a bad actor on every level, ”Tucker said.
Earlier in the pandemic, pregnant women in UMMC weren’t getting so seriously ill with COVID-19, but after the delta variant spread, Owens said, it became apparent that patients were getting seriously ill and deteriorating. faster.
“We are seeing women, who may not have other co-morbid conditions, being affected at an earlier gestational age. Most of the people we see now are affected in the middle of their pregnancy, and they have many more. aggressive form of the disease, “Owens said.” The next thing you know, they end up progressing very quickly to need an intubation. “
Pregnant people are at an increased risk of serious illness from COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people, according to the CDC. In addition, they are also at increased risk of preterm birth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
The CDC and other leading health organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, have issued guidelines calling on all pregnant people to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“The CDC encourages all pregnant people or those planning to become pregnant and those who are breastfeeding to get vaccinated to protect themselves from COVID-19,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement on the guidelines updates last month. “Vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible Delta variant and see severe consequences of COVID-19 in unvaccinated pregnant people. . “
The updated CDC guidelines were based on other research that found that pregnant women can receive an mRNA vaccine without increased risk to themselves or their babies.
“[It] is really the most important thing in giving pregnant women the opportunity to still be able to live to fight another day, ”said Owens. “It is really imperative that women get the right information to know that the COVID vaccine is safe, approved and recommended, and that it makes a big difference between whether or not a patient has a serious illness or whether or not a patient has a serious illness. he could potentially die. “
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