COVID-19: Pregnant women should take vaccine, says CDC dismissing safety concerns

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic as several pregnant women were subjected to conflicting recommendations regarding vaccination, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has rolled out its clear guidance, ‘Take the vaccine.’ CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing on April 23 said that the COVID-19 vaccination surveillance systems have found “no safety concerns" for over 35,000 women in the third trimester or for their babies.

"We know that this is a deeply personal decision," she added, "and I encourage people to talk to their doctors and their primary care providers to determine what is best for them and for their baby."

Acknowledging the conflicting reviews, Walensky explained that since the vaccine trials initially did not include pregnant women, there was not enough data on the potential issues. However, as a result, different health authorities and professional medical groups had put forth their respective precautions and conflicting guidance. Before Friday’s White House briefing, the CDC had suggested that pregnant women can make their own decisions after consulting doctors.

"Pregnant people experienced the same side effects as others following vaccination. We were also able to follow in detail more than 3,900 pregnant women. And over 800 of whom have completed their pregnancies. Importantly, no safety concerns were observed for people vaccinated in the third trimester or safety concerns for their babies," Walensky said.

What has World Health Organization said?

Contradicting to CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO) had said that only pregnant women at high risk of contracting COVID-19 or having severe disease should take the jab. In an article related to the COVID-19 vaccine, WHO said, “While pregnancy puts women at higher risk of severe COVID-19, very little data are available to assess vaccine safety in pregnancy. Pregnant women may receive the vaccine if the benefit of vaccinating a pregnant woman outweighs the potential vaccine risks.”

“For this reason, pregnant women at high risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (e.g. health workers) or who have comorbidities which add to their risk of severe disease, maybe vaccinated in consultation with their health care provider,” it added.

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