New advice on covid vaccination in pregnancy

JCVI issues new advice on COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women

Pregnant women now a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination

Pregnant women are to be considered a 'vulnerable' group, emphasising the urgency of them receiving COVID-19 vaccination and booster doses

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COVID-19 medical misinformation policy

Claims about COVID-19 vaccinations that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the WHO

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Pregnancy, breastfeeding, fertility and coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination

There's no evidence COVID-19 vaccination increases the risk of having a miscarriage, pre-term birth or other complications in your pregnancy.

The COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any live viruses and cannot give you or your baby COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy

Research published on 25 July by UKOSS (UK Obstetric Surveillance System national cohort),

suggests that the Delta variant is associated with an increased risk of severe illness among hospitalised pregnant women,

compared with the Alpha and ‘wildtype’ variants of previous waves.

Current delta prevalence

3.4% BA.2

17.2% BA.4

78.7% BA.5

0.7% classified as other

US, CDC, Nowcast

JCVI issues new advice on COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women

The JCVI has advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.

Based on this (US) data

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)

Advises that it’s preferable for pregnant women in the UK to be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines where available.

There is no evidence to suggest that other vaccines are unsafe for pregnant women, but more research is needed.

Public Health England’s Green Book

The Green Book

advises that pregnant women should discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination with their clinician,

including the latest evidence on safety and which vaccines they should receive.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, COVID-19 Chair for JCVI

We encourage pregnant women to discuss the risks and benefits with their clinician

There is 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.

Dr Edward Morris, President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.

This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.

If you are concerned about a side-effect it can be reported directly via the Coronavirus Yellow Card reporting site