COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy
by Evan Cornish, Medical Student & Dr. Patrick Smith
With the coronavirus pandemic still raging, many people ask themselves what they can do to protect themselves and their loved ones. This question is especially important for expecting mothers. Many pregnant women wonder if they should get vaccinated against COVID-19.
All the data from the more than 200,000 pregnant women that have been vaccinated against COVID-19 tell us that vaccination during pregnancy is very safe and effective. There is no increased risk of miscarriage, early births, or problems for the fetus. The vaccine is safe during pregnancy.
While vaccination is safe for expecting moms, getting the COVID virus is not. Infection during pregnancy (not vaccination) has been linked with miscarriage, preterm births, and other unfortunate outcomes. Also, getting COVID while pregnant is dangerous for the mother & can lead to lengthy hospital stays and even death.
Many ask if receiving the vaccine will cause a COVID infection. The answer is no. The vaccines are made from a piece of the virus’ “blueprint” or “game plan” with the dangerous bits removed. We want to show our bodies this virus blueprint so that when we do actually encounter the virus, our bodies are prepared to fight it much better than if we had not been prepared.
But what about all the stories about vaccine side effects? This is a totally reasonable question! The reality is that in the hundreds of millions of doses of COVID vaccines already given, we have not seen a link between vaccination and death. Most side effects are mild and much much safer than actually being infected with COVID.
The internet is full of dangerous misinformation right now, and a lot of our loved ones have been convinced by that false information. But as an expecting mother, it’s your responsibility to cut through the chatter to do what is best for you and your baby.
COVID-19 vaccines are available at Valley-Wide & local pharmacies. Vaccines are free, effective, and, most importantly, safe.
