A Study From The CDC Shows Moderna And Pfizer COVID19 Vaccines Are Safe For Pregnant Women

A study that has been done by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that pregnant women should consider taking Moderna or Pfizer COVID19 vaccines. The CDC experts haves tested both the vaccines in their new study. They have said both vaccines might be safe for women who are pregnant. Pregnant women have not been included in the early clinical trials of these two-dose shots. Limited data has created a sense of uncertainty for many expecting mothers. The new research on these two vaccines has shown that the two vaccines seem to be safe for people who are pregnant. Preliminary outcomes of the study have been released in the New England Journal of Medicine. Experts have looked at the data of nearly more than 35000 pregnant women who have been vaccinated with these mRNA vaccines. They have found no evident safety concerns among the women. The CDC director Rochelle Walensky has said that no safety issues have been seen in women who have been inoculated in the third trimester. She has said that their unborn babies as well have been found with no safety issues. After considering these preliminary findings, the CDC has advised that pregnant women should consider getting the COVID19 shots. Earlier, the CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics as well have issued a guideline saying that pregnant women should not be deprived of COVID19 shots.

In the new study, experts have analyzed the data between December 14, 2019, to February 28, 2021, from the government database and registries where vaccine recipients from across the country can report their side effects and details about their health. The study has noted that the majority of pregnant women have been feeling pain at the injection site more frequently as compared to non-pregnant women. Fewer pregnant women have reported that they have been feeling chills, fever, headaches, or muscle pain. Experts have said that the rate of preterm birth and miscarriages in the women who have been vaccinated and completed their pregnancies during the study has been similar to the rate of preterm births and miscarriages in the general population. Experts have noted that there have been no evident safety signals in pregnant women who have been vaccinated with mRNA vaccines. However, more longitudinal follow-up and follow-ups of large numbers of pregnant women who have been inoculated earlier in pregnancy are needed to find out maternal, pregnancy, and infant outcomes. The study has not assessed the effect of the COVID19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson on pregnant women. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February.

Another study that has been released last month has found that Moderna and Pfizer-BioNtech COVID19 vaccines are quite safe and effective for pregnant women and nursing people. Experts who have been involved in this study have said that these vaccines might provide some immunity to their unborn babies as well. This study as well has noted that pregnant women are at a greater risk of severe COVID19 disease and death due to the disease as compared to non-pregnant women. The CDC director Rochelle Walensky has said that the decision to get the shots during pregnancy is strictly personal. However, she has encouraged women trying to talk to their health care providers or doctors about their vaccination. There has been around a 10 percent decline in the seven-day average of newly reported cases in the country. The latest figure shows around 62500 cases per day. The number of daily deaths due to COVID19 has seen a decline but it is still hovering around 690 per day. As per the data, more than 65 percent of the US population in the age range of 65 years and above has been fully vaccinated. The CDC director has said that it gives a reason to be a little relieved.  She ha cautioned that county-level data shows worrying gaps in the speed of vaccination drives. The data has shown that some counties have immunized more than 65 percent of their older population. On the other hand, some have not been able to vaccinate even 50 percent of their elderly population. Walensky has warned that the virus might strike the areas where vaccine coverage is low. She has said that with low protection for older people, the rate of death might as well increase. As per the data from NPR’s vaccine tracker, around 27 percent of the US population has been fully vaccinated as of now.