The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a health alert Wednesday urging people who are pregnant to get vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus.
In a press release, the CDC described it as “an urgent health advisory” and recommended that people who are pregnant, recently pregnant, or trying to become pregnant, get vaccinated to “prevent serious illness, deaths, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.” The advisory noted a large number of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in pregnant people along with “racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination coverage for pregnant people.”
“According to CDC data, only 31 percent of pregnant people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and vaccination rates vary markedly by race and ethnicity. Vaccination coverage is highest among Asian people who are pregnant (45.7 percent), but lower among Hispanic or Latino pregnant people (25 percent), and lowest among Black pregnant people (15.6 percent),” the press release states.
According to the press release, there were more than 125,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in pregnant individuals through Sept. 27. 22,000 of these cases resulted in hospitalization and 161 resulted in death. 22 deaths occurred in August alone.
“Cases of COVID-19 in symptomatic, pregnant people have a two-fold risk of admission into intensive care and a 70 percent increased risk of death,” the press release states. “Pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes that could include preterm birth, stillbirth, and admission into the ICU of a newborn also infected with COVID-19.”
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“Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time – and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said in a statement. “I strongly encourage those who are pregnant or considering pregnancy to talk with their healthcare provider about the protective benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their babies and themselves safe.”
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