On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that pregnant women should get vaccinated against COVID-19. The recommendation was based on new data that did not show an increased risk for miscarriage.
Pregnant women are eligible to receive all three vaccines currently available: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
Although original clinical trials did not include pregnant women, data has since shown the shots to be effective for this demographic. Miscarriage rates after vaccination were similar to the expected rate for the group.
With coronavirus cases surging, vaccination rates in pregnant women remain low. Only 23 percent have received at least one dose.
“We want to increase that,” Sascha Ellington, team lead for the Emergency in the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health, said, according to Reuters. “We want women to be protected. We’re not seeing any safety signals, and so the benefits of vaccination really do outweigh any potential or unknown risks.”
According to the CDC, those who are pregnant are also at a higher risk of severe illness when they contract the virus. Pregnant women with COVID-19 are also at a greater risk for hospitalization, preterm birth, and even death.
In addition to pregnant women, the CDC recommends that people breastfeeding or trying to become pregnant also get vaccinated.
