A pregnant woman receives a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S., Feb. 11, 2021. (REUTERS)
Pregnant women should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on a new analysis that did not show an increased risk for miscarriage, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.
The CDC said it has found no safety concerns for pregnant people in either the new analysis or earlier studies. It said miscarriage rates after vaccination were similar to the expected rate. Pregnant women can receive any of the three vaccines given emergency authorization — Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.
The agency had not previously recommended pregnant women get vaccinated but had said that they should discuss vaccination with their health care providers.
Pregnancy increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19, according to the CDC, and COVID-19 during pregnancy increases the risk for preterm birth.
The CDC said it now recommends all people 12 years and older get vaccinated against COVID-19, including people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The new guidance comes as cases and hospitalizations have surged across the country in the past month. Some hospitals in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi have run out of beds, and the outbreak is spreading beyond the epicenter in the U.S. South to Oregon and Washington state.