Pregnant women CAN be offered Covid vaccine at same time as rest of UK, JCVI says
PREGNANT women should be offered a Covid-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, experts have stated.
Many women have previously chosen to avoid the Covid vaccine due to a lack of evidence on its impact on pregnancies.
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But experts have now confirmed that the jabs are safe to be offered to all expecting mums in line with recommendations already put in place by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The group today said pregnant women having the jab would be based on age and clinical risk - as it is for the rest of the population.
Experts said while pregnant women wouldn't be prioritised over other groups, they have been urged to take up their vaccine when offered it.
So far in the UK over 32.5 million Brits have received a coronavirus vaccine with 8.9 million also having had a second.
The JCVI said said there were "no specific safety concerns" identified with "any brand of Covid-19 vaccines" in relation to pregnancy.
It comes after people under the age of 30 were told they would be offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab amid blood clot fears.
Experts today said they had identified "no specific risk factors" for the rare blood clot disorders that had been reported over the last few weeks.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 chair for JCVI, said: "We encourage pregnant women to discuss the risks and benefits with their clinician - those at increased risk of severe outcomes from Covid-19 are encouraged to promptly take up the offer of vaccination when offered.
"There have been no specific safety concerns from any brand of Covid-19 vaccines in relation to pregnancy.
"There are more real-world safety data from the US in relation to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in women who are pregnant - therefore, we advise a preference for these to be offered to pregnant women."
It comes as:
- Sage says the R rate has fallen in England to between 0.7 and 1
- Experts say the “concerning” Indian Covid variant, detected 77 times in the UK, has two mutations that can “escape” antibodies
- Covid deaths in the UK have plunged by 43 per cent per cent in a week with 34 more fatalities
- Scots can travel nationwide and mix in bigger groups outdoors from today as Sturgeon eases Covid rules 10 days early
- Covid cases are still rising in 103 areas – is YOURS on the hotspot list?
Data from the US suggests that over 90,000 pregnant women had received jabs.
These women had mainly been given either the Pfizer/BioNTech jab or the Moderna vaccines, "without any safety concerns being raised".
Both these jabs are currently being rolled out in the UK, as well as the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.
The experts today said that women will be given the choice to wait until their 12 week scan.
This they said, is because many women often see their first three months as a critical time during their pregnancy.
Experts said that women would still be given their two doses of the jab before the high risk part of the pregnancy, which is closer to the end of the nine months.
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at Public Health England (PHE), said: "The available data on the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines provide confidence that they can be offered safely to pregnant women.
Are pregnant women at risk of Covid?
Current evidence from the UK suggests that pregnant women are at no greater risk of catching the coronavirus compared with other healthy adults.
The majority of pregnant women experience only mild or moderate symptoms.
But overall, pregnant women may be at increased risk of becoming severely unwell compared to non-pregnant women, particularly in the third trimester.
Studies have shown that there are higher rates of admission to intensive care units for pregnant women with Covid compared to non-pregnant women.
Pregnant women are on the moderate risk (clinically vulnerable) list as a precaution.
The NHS says: "If you're at moderate risk from coronavirus, it's very important to follow social distancing advice to reduce your chances of catching or spreading the virus."
Information about all pregnant women with Covid is tracked in a registry called the UK Obstetric Surveillance System.
It has shown that women who did become severely ill were in their third trimester of pregnancy.
Risk factors included being over the age of 35, having a high BMI or underling health condition, and being from Black, Asian or ethnic minority background.
Studies suggest Covid is unlikely to cause problems with the baby, either causing miscarriage or problems after birth.
But global reports say babies have been born prematurely to women with severe Covid.
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"The Covid-19 vaccines continue to save thousands of lives and it is important that we encourage as many people as possible to take up the offer when it is their turn."
Experts have today welcomed the announcement from the JCVI and during a briefing with journalists this afternoon medics said the data will bring "reassurance" to many women.
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Professor Lucy Chappell, consultant obstetrician and Covid -19 vaccine lead for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said the RCOG had been consistently working with healthcare professionals to help them discuss the benefits of the jab with pregnant women.
She said: "We are also advocating for more data collection of pregnant women receiving the vaccine in the UK, and welcome the work that is going on to ensure that there is recording of pregnancy status in the national vaccination programme to enable linkage to outcomes."