Pregnant women in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and those thinking of getting pregnant in this Covid-19 pandemic should take the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to Health Promotions Officer Shanika John, the data shows now that being pregnant in a pandemic puts you at a greater risk for any complications associated with contracting the virus.
“At this particular stage, we are encouraging pregnant mommies to get vaccinated, and this is a discussion you would want to have with your physician as to what time would be best. The added layer of protection is recommended.”
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, Pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) are at increased risk for adverse outcomes, and Covid-19 vaccination is recommended during pregnancy. However, safety data on Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy remain limited.
The journal also cited a Norwegian study among 13,956 women with ongoing pregnancies (of whom 5.5% were vaccinated) and 4521 women with miscarriages (of whom 5.1% were vaccinated), the median number of days between vaccination and miscarriage or confirmation of ongoing pregnancy was 19.
The journal stated that the study found no evidence of an increased risk for early pregnancy loss after Covid-19 vaccination and adds to the findings from other reports supporting Covid-19 immunisation during pregnancy.
In the US, only 31% of pregnant women are vaccinated against the dangerous COVID-19 virus, less than half the 69.7% vaccination rate of other US adults and even lower than traditionally resistant groups, such as young men, low-income rural residents and conservative Republicans.
This startling vaccination gap is alarming because pregnant women with COVID are at elevated risk of severe illness. Compared to nonpregnant women, they’re more likely to end up on a ventilator. And their infants face higher odds of premature birth.