WHO reverses position on pregnant women receiving COVID-19 vaccine

After reviewing the data, independent experts said they were not recommending the Moderna vaccine be used on Pregnant women unless they are health workers exposed to the virus or have medical conditions that put them at high risk. And the technology used in vaccines is generally known to be safe, experts said. Less than a week after the WHO issued the warning, when much research was presented by many medical sources, the The organization removed the pregnancy comment from the report. included Pregnant women among those with priority access to COVID-19 vaccines.

“Based on what we know about this type of vaccine, we have no specific reason to believe that there will be any specific risks that outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women.” The recommendation is now closely aligned with the CDC’s position.

The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, known as SAGE, said the vaccine should be administered in two doses at an interval of 28 days, which could be extended under exceptional circumstances to 42 days.

The advice on Moderna came weeks after their recommendations on rival Pfizer were published. vaccine.

“The main recommendation for the use of this (Moderna) vaccine is that, based on the current evidence, we recommend that it be administered in doses of 100 micrograms or 0.5 ml with an interval of 28 days, ”said Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of the committee, during a point Press.

“This interval could be moved to 42 days, but the evidence we have does not exceed this time frame,” he said.

WHO Director of Immunization Kate O’Brien said Moderna’s clinical trials vaccine were needed on Pregnant women.

“There is no reason to think that there could be a problem during pregnancy, we just recognize that the data is not there at the moment,” she said.

WHO was in contact with Moderna on the data it submitted as part of its application for inclusion on the WHO Emergency Use List and would make a decision soon, she said, adding: “We are doing everything with Moderna to speed up this process.”

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both using mRNA technology, are “very similar” except for Pfizer requiring an ultra cold chain which is difficult for some countries, said O’Brien.

“We recommend that you use the same vaccine for your second dose that you received for your first dose, ”she says.

In general, WHO has not recommended vaccination of international travelers.