Pregnancy vaccinations are now more important than ever as ICU beds fill upClick to enlarge the image.New data proving its safety and effectiveness throughout pregnancy has led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to double down on its recommendation for pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccination.This recommendation comes at a time where doctors across the country are reporting an increase in the number unvaccinated pregnant women being admitted to hospital with severe COVID-19.Doctors note that the low vaccination rate for this group is quite striking. According to CDC statistics, only 23% of pregnant women had received at most one dose of vaccine against coronavirus as of July 31."CDC recommends pregnant people be vaccinated against COVID-19 based on new evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccinations," the agency stated in its updated guidance. This follows the urgent recommendation made by leading medical societies. COVID-19 vaccinations are recommended for everyone 12 years old and over, including pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those who might get pregnant.The agency said that there was no evidence to support the concern among some people that messenger RNA vaccines could increase miscarriage risk if given too early in pregnancy. Officials claim miscarriage rates following the vaccine were comparable to those expected in all pregnant women. According to the agency's latest analysis, the vaccine is safe during breastfeeding and later in pregnancy.Coping with COVID-19 while pregnant: the risks of forgoing vaccineIt's a perfect storm situation. A highly infectious COVID-19 virus has been found in an individual group that is not fully immunized. We are seeing many people who are sick.Dr. Alison Cahill is a professor at the Dell Medical School at University of Texas at Austin and a specialist in maternal fetal medicine. She has been encouraging everyone within earshot to get immunized. She sees the potential damage that the coronavirus can cause, and she works mostly with pregnant women who have COVID-19.Cahill recalled treating a woman with shortness-of-breath who was unvaccinated. She says that the woman was unable to breathe for 24 hours and needed an enormous amount of oxygen."She was in her mid-trimester. If she'd needed to give birth, she would have delivered a very preterm baby that was at high risk for lifelong disability or death.Cahill claims that the woman was unable to breathe by herself within two days after being admitted to the hospital. The woman was then intubated and placed on a ventilator.Eventually, the woman required ECMO. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a machine that bypasses the woman's lungs and oxygenates her blood. Cahill claims that she was on ECMO for several weeks. This is a common bridge to a heart transplant or lung transplant for the critically ill.Cahill states that "she was eventually able" to get rid of all those things. "She miraculously didn't need a preterm birth. After two and a quarter months, she was still pregnant and was able to return home.COVID-19 - A lifetime of disabilitiesThe baby was healthy and the mother was sent home with likely disabilities for the rest of her life. Cahill claims that the woman could have avoided this tragedy by getting vaccinated.She said, "I believe that it's just a tremendous opportunity that we have the United States, und everybody should avail themselves this tremendous vaccine to prevent these types of things happening to people." It's truly tragic.These are just a few of the reasons why the American College of Obstetricians and Gynologists (or ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the leading organizations representing doctors and scientists who specialize obstetric care, recommended that pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccination on July 30."It's kind of an ideal storm situation," Dr. Mark Turrentine (an obstetrics professor at Baylor College of Medicine) says. He is also co-chair of the COVID-19 working group for ACOG. "We have a highly contagious variant of COVID-19 virus among a group that is not immunized. We are seeing many people who are sick."ACOG encourages its member to enthusiastically recommend vaccinations to their patients," Dr. J. Martin Tucker (president of ACOG) stated in a written statement. This means highlighting the safety of vaccines as well as the risk of serious complications, such as death, associated with COVID-19 infection.The Delta variant makes things worsePregnant women in Texas need to be vaccinated. The highly contagious delta variant is responsible for more than 75% the number of new cases. 44.5 percent of Texas residents are fully vaccinated, compared to 50.2% in the United States.Dr. Jessica Ehrig is the obstetrics chief at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Temple. She says that as infection rates rise in the state, she has seen a significant rise in the number pregnant women being admitted to the hospital and some even dying. She also notes that severe cases of COVID-19 can be dangerous for the foetus.Ehrig stated recently that complications include preterm births and prematurity. This can lead to preterm delivery. Ehrig spoke at an Austin press conference. "Unfortunately, there is also a higher risk of stillbirth."COVID-19 is especially dangerous during pregnancyThis is especially dangerous if a pregnant woman gets a symptomatic COVID-19 case, Turrentine points out as he breaks down statistics.He says there is an increase in ICU admissions by threefold, "a two-and-halffold increase in the risk of being placed on mechanical ventilation or bypass support and even a slightly over one-and half-fold increased chance of death."Scientists and medical professionals don't understand why pregnant women are at high risk of contracting the virus. However, they do know that this population is particularly vulnerable due to the fact that so many people remain unvaccinated.The CDC recommends vaccines for pregnant women as the best way of protecting them and their babies against the coronavirus. Even though pregnant women were not allowed to participate in the first clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccines, substantial data has been gathered over the years that show the shots are safe and effective.Turrentine believes that vaccines are worth the risk. He says that the cost of not getting vaccinated is too high, especially for pregnant women."I've seen pregnant women really sick. He says, "I mean, I've seen some women die." "It's a good idea to be an obstetrician-gynecologist, because the patients are young and healthy. You have excellent outcomes most of the times. This is a virus.This story comes from NPR's reporting partnership, KUT and Kaiser Health News.
