27 Apr 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clarified Tuesday that its guidance on vaccines for pregnant women remains unchanged despite remarks from CDC Director Rochelle Walenksy, who on Friday said the CDC “recommends that pregnant people receive the COVID-19 vaccine” following the release of preliminary findings of a New England Journal of Medicine study.
On Tuesday, the CDC clarified that it had not altered its guidance for pregnant woman receiving vaccines, with a spokesperson clarifying the agency’s position that pregnant women should consider the risks of exposure to the Chinese coronavirus and educate themselves on the vaccine, knowing there is “limited but growing evidence about the safety of COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy.”
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On
Newstalk Breakfast this morning, the Master of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) Professor Shane Higgins said the decision was ‘welcome and responsible.’
“We know, the evidence is mounting now that pregnant women are at greater risk, particularly in the third trimester, if they do get COVID, of more serious symptoms,” he said.
“There is the risk of pre-term birth and we saw a cluster of cases earlier this year of stillbirths within that population.”
Blanket 100%
Asked whether all women who are advised by their doctors to take the vaccine should do so, he replied: “I think it is a blanket 100%.”
The White House
11:01 A.M. EDT
MR. ZIENTS: Good morning, and thank you for joining us. Today, Dr. Walensky will provide an update on the state of the pandemic, Dr. Fauci will highlight the latest science, and Dr. Murthy will share an update on our efforts to strengthen vaccine confidence.
But first, I want to step back to provide an overview of where we are in our vaccination program, and where we’re headed as we enter our next phase.
Our vaccination efforts to date have focused on significantly increasing the pace of vaccination. That required creating the infrastructure the people and the places for a first-of-its-kind nationwide vaccination program. It also meant creating sufficient vaccine supply that did not previously exist.
More information is becoming available on how COVID-19 vaccines may affect pregnant women. But getting vaccinated hasn t been an easy decision for a lot of expecting moms.
While studies regarding COVID-19vaccine safety in pregnant women are ongoing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical advisor, said that there doesn’t appear to be any concerns for now. Those studies are going to be done soon, and some are ongoing right now, but for pregnant women who have already taken it, after the emergency use authorization, there doesn’t seem to be any problem, Fauci said, in a short Q&A posted to the White House’s Twitter account.