COVID-19: Amid rise in hospital admissions, UK urges pregnant women to get vaccinated

UK health officials have urged pregnant women to get Coronavirus jabs after a national study found that the Delta variant appeared to increase their risk of severe symptoms. Public Health England data suggest hundreds of thousands have not had the jab, as the number of mothers-to-be in hospital with the virus rises. According to BBC, England’s chief midwife stepped up her call for pregnant women to get the COVID-19 jabs as soon as possible and said that all healthcare professionals have a responsibility to proactively encourage expecting mothers to get vaccinated. 

As per reports, in the last three months, around 171 pregnant women with COVID-19 needed hospital care but none had had both jabs. Amid rising cases, in a letter to midwives, obstetricians and GP practices, chief midwife for England Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent recommended advice on jabs to be offered at every opportunity. She said that vaccines save lives and it can keep the mother and the baby safe and out of the hospital. 

'Extremely concerned' about unvaccinated pregnant women 

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives have also recommended vaccination of pregnant women. The PHE has reportedly said that it recommends pregnant women get Moderna and Pfizer vaccines because they have been given to over 130,000 pregnant women in the United States. According to the official data, about 51,724 pregnant women have received one COVID-19 vaccine in England so far. Of these, around 20,648 have had their second dose.

Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said doctors were seeing very sick pregnant women with COVID-19 in the hospital every day, with most being unvaccinated. Morris added that one dose of COVID-19 vaccination gives “good protection” against the infection, so the sooner one books first appointment the better. He even went on to say that the second dose eight weeks after the first jab will also provide a good level of immunity against the Delta Variant. 

In a separate statement, Dr Sarah McMullen, of the National Childbirth Trust, said she was "extremely concerned" that many pregnant women remain unvaccinated and vulnerable. She strongly encouraged women to consider having the jab. McMullen added that it is understandable that pregnant women have questions and hesitations about vaccinations and they need to be able to trust in the information and support to make an informed decision. "We've been really frustrated to hear of so much misinformation and the confusion this has caused," she said.

COVID-19 in the UK

Meanwhile, while the government moves to the gradual reopening of the UK, Britain is presently also dealing with another wave of COVID-19 driven by the Delta variant. However, notably, the coronavirus infections in the country dropped over the past week. Earlier on July 27, Britain had registered 23,511 COVID-19 cases with 131 deaths which is also the highest number of daily deaths recorded in the country since March 17. Furthermore, over 46.5 million people in Britain have received the first dose of the COID-19 vaccine and more than 36.9 million people are fully jabbed. 

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