What should I know about COVID-19 vaccines if I am pregnant?

What should I know about COVID-19 vaccines if I am pregnant?

Vaccination is probably the best way to prevent COVID-19 during pregnancy, when the risks of severe illness and death from the virus are higher than usual.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that COVID-19 vaccinations should not be withheld from pregnant women and that women should discuss the individual risks and benefits with their health care providers.

The US government’s emergency clearance for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines launched for priority groups does not mention the task as a reason to refuse the shots.

But the OB-GYN group says women should see their doctors because COVID-19 vaccines have not yet been tested in pregnant women. Evidence of safety and efficacy is reassuring from studies that involuntarily included some women who did not know they were pregnant when they enrolled.

More answers are expected from future research, including a study by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech, which is expected to begin earlier this year and will include pregnant women.

Experts say there is no reason to believe that the two authorized vaccines would harm fetuses. It could even protect them from the development of COVID-19, although this has not yet been proven, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, president of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine.

This thinking comes in part from experience with flu and whooping cough vaccines, which are approved for use during pregnancy and protect newborns and their mothers from developing these diseases.

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The AP answers the questions about coronavirus in this series. Send them to: [email protected].

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