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Updated January 10th, 2022 at 20:27 IST

UK govt urges pregnant women to immediately get inoculated with COVID-19 booster shots

Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, the United Kingdom government has urged pregnant women to immediately get inoculated with booster shots.

Reported by: Apoorva Kaul
UK
Image: Shutterstock/Representative | Image:self
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Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, the United Kingdom government has urged pregnant women to take a booster dose of the vaccine. The UK government, together with experts from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), have launched a new campaign to encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated.

The UK government in the advertising campaign have highlighted the serious risks of getting infected with COVID-19 and the benefits of receiving the vaccines against COVID-19 to protect both mothers and their babies. In the ad campaign, the government has called on pregnant women to receive the vaccine by saying, “don’t wait to take the vaccine". The Department of Health and Social Care cited data from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System which showed 96.3% of pregnant women admitted to hospital with COVID-19 symptoms between May and October were unvaccinated, a third of whom needed respiratory support.

UKHSA data shows COVID-19 vaccines safe for pregnant women

The most recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that vaccinations provide strong protection to pregnant women against COVID-19. Furthermore, the data shows that the vaccines are safe for pregnant women, with similar birth outcomes for those who have received the vaccines and those who have not been jabbed. Since April 2021, around 84,000 pregnant women have received the first dose of the vaccine and more than 80,000 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr Jen Jardine, from the RCOG, who is also 7 months pregnant and has received a booster shot of the vaccine, has “strongly called” on all pregnant women to receive the coronavirus vaccines. 

Dr Edward Morris, President of the RCOG, in the press release welcomed the campaign calling on pregnant women to receive the vaccines. Morris urged pregnant women to get vaccines and receive booster doses of vaccines after 3 months of getting fully vaccinated. Morris raised concern over many women who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and expressed hope that the campaign would help in assuring pregnant women about the safety of the vaccine. Gill Walton, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the RCM, in the press release, informed that many pregnant women are getting admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and added that 93% of them have not received the vaccine. 

“There is overwhelming evidence that the COVID vaccine is safe for pregnant women and for their babies and that it’s the best way to keep them safe from harm,” Gill Walton said in the statement.

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Published January 10th, 2022 at 20:27 IST

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