Topline
Officials from Mississippi, which has one of the lowest rates of coronavirus vaccination, urge pregnant women to be inoculated. The new wave of infection caused by the delta variant of the virus has led to an increase in stillbirths and deaths among pregnant women who have not been vaccinated.
The mother and father look at their son as they wait for the Covid-19 pandemic to end in Paris' maternity ward. AFP via Getty Images
The Key Facts
Officials in Mississippi announced Wednesday that eight Mississippi women had died from coronavirus over the past week. All of them were unvaccinated. Unvaccinated mothers have had 72 stillbirths, which is the death in the womb of a baby after 20 weeks. This is a tragedy, Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs stated Wednesday. According to the Centers for Disease Control, less than 25% of all pregnant women in the U.S. are vaccinated.
Important Background
Health experts warn that coronavirus can cause severe complications in pregnant women. The CDC recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated against the coronavirus last month. They said there is no evidence that vaccines increase miscarriage or are dangerous. This week, a study showed that coronavirus antibodies can be passed to babies by breastmilk from mothers who have been vaccinated.
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CDC: Pregnant women should get vaccinated against Coronavirus (Forbes). Key background
