The use of any drug during pregnancy may be the source of significant anxiety and myriad discussions regarding safety of such. This continued to be the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, where pregnant people were at increased risk of severe illness and death, and there was concern about the safety of the vaccines for pregnant people. Additionally, COVID-19 during pregnancy is associated with increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and stillbirth. When mRNA COVID-19 vaccines first became available in December 2020, safety data in pregnancy were limited because pregnant people were excluded from pre-authorisation clinical trials. Lack of data and safety concerns contributed to initially low uptake among pregnant people, which continues to be lower than uptake among non-pregnant females of reproductive age. To address this issue, public health researchers from across the globe have assessed the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy.

The authors have conducted a large review of evidence generated from clinical trials and conclude that, “In addition to being safe in pregnancy, other studies have shown that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of severe illness in pregnant people and the risk of COVID-19 hospital admission among their infants younger than 6 months. Protection in infants born to people vaccinated during pregnancy is particularly important because while mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were approved by the FDA on June 17, 2022, and recommended by the CDC on June 18, 2022, for children aged between 6 months and 5 years, there are not currently any vaccines available for infants younger than six months. COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant people continues to be lower than among non-pregnant females of reproductive age. Given the risks of severe illness and adverse pregnancy outcomes, continuing to collect and disseminate data on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy and encouraging healthcare providers to promote vaccination during all trimesters of pregnancy is imperative.”1

Read the full article here.

References

  1. Ellington, S., & Olson, C. K. (2022). Safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 22(11), 1514–1515. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1473-3099(22)00443-1

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