After months in which there was no clarity about how safe it was for pregnant women to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English) recommended this Friday that pregnant women yes get the injection.
The director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, assured during a briefing from the White House that the most recent reports
did not show "safety concerns" after studying more than 35,000 women in their third trimester of pregnancy
, neither for them nor for your babies.
"We know it is a deeply personal decision," she said, "and I encourage people to speak with their doctors and primary care providers to determine what is best for themselves and their babies."
[Plan your vaccination: this tool helps to know who is eligible and where to schedule an appointment]
Specifically, the study cited by Walensky was published this Wednesday in the scientific journal
The New England Journal of Medicine
, and shows data from more than 35,000 pregnant women who received the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines between December 2020 and February 2021, without experience adverse effects.
Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 can transmit antibodies to the baby, according to study
Feb. 1, 202100: 32
This is one of the largest studies on vaccination against COVID-19 during pregnancy, and it has strengthened the evidence that immunization is safe, although its authors say more in-depth research is still needed.
In recent months pregnant women have received confusing and sometimes contradictory information about the safety of getting vaccinated during pregnancy, largely due to the fact that initial clinical trials for the vaccines did not include pregnant women.
Although these were excluded from those studies that led to the emergency authorization of the vaccines,
there was no evidence of harm in women who were unknowingly pregnant when they participated in the trials.
Pregnant women who become infected with the coronavirus face a high risk of complications, including hospitalization in intensive care, premature delivery and death.
Data collected in
The New England Journal of Medicine study
between December 14 and February 28 showed side effects in pregnant women similar to those seen in the rest of the population: minor symptoms such as arm pain, pain in the neck. head, chills and fever.
Pregnant women did not report serious reactions more often than those who were not pregnant.
Nausea and vomiting were reported slightly more frequently among pregnant women after the second dose.
More than 86.2 million people in the US are already immunized against COVID-19
April 22, 202100: 19
The CDC had previously suggested that pregnant women consult with their doctors before getting the vaccine.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists had said that coronavirus vaccines "should not be denied to pregnant people," but stopped short of explicitly recommending vaccines for that population.
However, the World Health Organization has said that only pregnant women at high risk of contracting the virus or of having severe COVID-19 should be vaccinated.
[COVID-19 Vaccines Protect Pregnant Women and Pass Antibodies to Babies, Study Finds]
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine on Tuesday recommended vaccination during pregnancy, based on evidence the agency said it had been evaluating for more than a year.
"All people, including pregnant women and those who wish to become pregnant, should receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines are safe and effective," the Society said in a statement, although the agency clarified that it has not evaluated the further evidence. recent Johnson & Johnson vaccine and reports of blood clots that have been rare, but deadly.
With information from The Washington Post