Reversing the previous guidance, the World Health Organization said on Friday that pregnant women could be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Although pregnancy puts women at greater risk for severe COVID-19, very little data is available to assess the safety of the vaccine in pregnancy,” said the agency.
“However, based on what we know about this type of vaccine, we have no specific reason to believe that there will be specific risks that outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women,” said the international body.
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“For this reason, pregnant women at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (for example, healthcare professionals) or who have comorbidities that increase the risk of serious illness can be vaccinated in consultation with their doctor,” the statement read.
A healthcare professional prepares a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, January 12, 2021. (Oded Balilty / AP)
Experts at the agency previously said that the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were not recommended for pregnant women unless they were at risk of high exposure.
The Israeli Ministry of Health advised pregnant women to get the coronavirus vaccine after several pregnant women became seriously ill, with several babies born prematurely by caesarean section due to the risk of life-threatening to mothers and children.
The ministry said this week that women in the second or third trimester should be vaccinated, but that women in the first trimester should wait, unless there are other risk factors.
The ministry said the recommendation not to vaccinate in the first weeks of pregnancy is not due to any concern about the increased risk, but rather that any bleeding or miscarriage, of which there is a greater risk in the first trimester, may be erroneously related. vaccine.
The US Centers for Disease Control also said this week that pregnant women should be allowed to receive the vaccine, noting that they are at an increased risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19.
“People who are pregnant and are part of a group recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can opt for vaccination,” the agency said in a statement.
