The World Health Organization is suspending Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for pregnant women due to lack of data.
“Although pregnancy puts women at an increased risk of severe COVID-19, the use of this vaccine in pregnant women is not currently recommended, unless they are at risk of high exposure,” says the official WHO report released Tuesday. -market.
Experts now advise people who are pregnant to avoid receiving the Modern vaccine, unless they are healthcare professionals in a coronavirus treatment unit, or if they have a medical condition that would put them at a greater risk of death from COVID -19.
However, in a virtual briefing conducted by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group on Immunization Experts, or SAGE, from its headquarters in Geneva, its immunization director, Kate O’Brien, emphasized her general confidence in therapy.
“There is no reason to think there could be a problem with pregnancy, we are just recognizing that the data is not there at the moment,” said O’Brien, according to a Reuters report.
Officially, health experts are also asking clinics to plan a second dose of Moderna vaccine within 28 days of the first, although the interval between vaccines may be extended to 42 days.
Currently, they recommend that the vaccine “should be administered in doses of 100 micrograms or 0.5 ml with an interval of 28 days,” said Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of the WHO panel in Mexico.
“This interval can be moved to 42 days, but the evidence we have does not go beyond that time,” said Cravioto.
WHO said it would continue to work closely with Moderna to establish the safety of the vaccine in pregnant women.
Studies have shown that Moderna’s vaccine has demonstrated 92% effectiveness in delaying COVID-19 until two weeks after the first dose, and is believed to be effective against newer variants of SARS-CoV-2, according to the WHO.