Pregnant women warned on vaccine

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said clinical trials on the possible effects of vaccine on pregnant women are are yet to be carried out.

“While pregnancy puts women at a higher risk of severe Covid-19, use of this vaccine in pregnant women is currently not recommended, unless they are at a high risk, such as health workers,” WHO said. Early this month, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said limited data was available on the safety of vaccines, including mRNA, given during pregnancy and called for more clinical trials and studies.

“Limited data is currently available from animal developmental and reproductive toxicity studies. No safety concerns were demonstrated in rats that received Moderna Covid-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy; studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are ongoing. Studies in people who are pregnant are planned,” CDC said.

WHO says pregnant women who have Covid have an increased risk of severe illness, including illness that results in ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and death, compared with non-pregnant women of reproductive age.

Also, pregnant women with Covid may be at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, compared with uninfected pregnant women.