It’s a big week for Sacramento mom Mai Nguyen. She’s nine months pregnant, and her second baby is due on Friday.”It’s better to be safe than sorry,” she said of her decision to get vaccinated for COVID-19 four months into her pregnancy. “We don’t know when the virus will change again. If we can help protect ourselves from being on a ventilator, then why not?” But not everyone expecting is getting the vaccine. New data released on Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows through Sept. 27, there were more than 125,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in pregnant people, including more than 22,000 hospitalized and 161 deaths. Twenty-two deaths happened in the month of August alone. “Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time – and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky. “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.”According to the CDC, only 31% of pregnant people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination coverage is highest among Asian people who are pregnant (45.7%), but lower among Hispanic or Latino pregnant people (25%), and lowest among Black pregnant people (15.6%).”The vaccine is safe and effective,” said Dr. Rachel Dong with Kaiser Permanente. ” does not cause infertility, does not cause miscarriage … Tens of thousands of pregnant women have received this vaccine and there is no increased risk to the mom or baby.””That is proof enough for me,” said Sacramento mom Kensey Merrit, who said she had initial concerns about getting vaccinated while pregnant.After conducting her own research, Merrit got her COVID-19 shot 11 weeks into her pregnancy. “It posed a bigger risk not to get vaccinated,” Merrit said. “I could get potentially COVID-19 and have no idea what the results would be for my unborn child and myself.”Medical experts say, just like any other vaccine, the COVID-19 shot may also come with side effects, but it remains the best form of protection against hospitalization and death. “The role of vaccination is for your body to be able to create antibodies so when you are presented with the actual infection you can fight it off,” said Dr. Veronique Tache, Associate Professor at UC Davis Health. The CDC found that pregnant people who contract COVID-19 are twice as likely to end up in the ICU and have a 70% increased risk of death. Today’s advisory went on to warn that pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of “adverse pregnancy outcomes” that could include preterm birth and stillbirth.
It’s a big week for Sacramento mom Mai Nguyen. She’s nine months pregnant, and her second baby is due on Friday.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” she said of her decision to get vaccinated for COVID-19 four months into her pregnancy. “We don’t know when the virus will change again. If we can help protect ourselves from being on a ventilator, then why not?”
But not everyone expecting is getting the vaccine. New data released on Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows through Sept. 27, there were more than 125,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in pregnant people, including more than 22,000 hospitalized and 161 deaths. Twenty-two deaths happened in the month of August alone.
“Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time – and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky. “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.”
According to the CDC, only 31% of pregnant people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination coverage is highest among Asian people who are pregnant (45.7%), but lower among Hispanic or Latino pregnant people (25%), and lowest among Black pregnant people (15.6%).
“The vaccine is safe and effective,” said Dr. Rachel Dong with Kaiser Permanente. “[It] does not cause infertility, does not cause miscarriage … Tens of thousands of pregnant women have received this vaccine and there is no increased risk to the mom or baby.”
“That is proof enough for me,” said Sacramento mom Kensey Merrit, who said she had initial concerns about getting vaccinated while pregnant.
After conducting her own research, Merrit got her COVID-19 shot 11 weeks into her pregnancy.
“It posed a bigger risk not to get vaccinated,” Merrit said. “I could get potentially COVID-19 and have no idea what the results would be for my unborn child and myself.”
Medical experts say, just like any other vaccine, the COVID-19 shot may also come with side effects, but it remains the best form of protection against hospitalization and death.
“The role of vaccination is for your body to be able to create antibodies so when you are presented with the actual infection you can fight it off,” said Dr. Veronique Tache, Associate Professor at UC Davis Health.
The CDC found that pregnant people who contract COVID-19 are twice as likely to end up in the ICU and have a 70% increased risk of death. Today’s advisory went on to warn that pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of “adverse pregnancy outcomes” that could include preterm birth and stillbirth.