The CDC authorized the vaccination process for pregnant women last month, but despite this, the United States sees an alarming increase in the number of unvaccinated pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19.
This order came after new safety data showed no miscarriage risks for those who received at least one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told a briefing at the White House this week that after two months, vaccination rates for pregnant women remain “extraordinarily low.”
Only about 32% of pregnant women are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest data. Unsurprisingly, pregnant black women are among the lowest vaccinated rates, with just 16% fully vaccinated.
The worrying spike in numbers prompted the CDC on Wednesday to issue an urgent vaccination advisory for pregnant people and those who have recently given birth. Pregnant women with symptomatic COVID-19 are 70% more likely to die, as well as an increased risk of preterm delivery, stillbirth, and newborns in need of intensive care.
The CDC advisory noted that there had been more than 125,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in pregnant people as of Monday, including more than 22,000 hospitalized and 161 deaths, 22 of which occurred last month.
These death reports and warnings prompted people like Kara Weiske, a woman 6 months pregnant with her first child, to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last week.
Weiske told Newsweek: “There are extreme cases where mothers end up not being able to survive and their babies have to be born prematurely. It increased the importance of this to me because it’s something that I don’t want to happen.”
Additionally, she said that she was not sure about receiving the vaccine during her pregnancy period, but that she was also concerned about not being protected against the virus since she works as a waitress in a very busy restaurant in Orlando, Florida, the state facing the wave deadliest of COVID-19.
On the other hand, she also stated that she had not administered the vaccine because her doctor advised her to wait for more about the effects of vaccines on pregnant women. However, her concern about the Delta variant and recent CDC data prompted her to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
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Final words
Experts say the delay in releasing safety data has limited the process of convincing other pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
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