Screenshot via World Health Organization
According to the World Health Organization , pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to require hospitalization, intensive care and invasive ventilation to help with breathing. In addition, compared with pregnant women without COVID-19, pregnant women with COVID-19 have an increased risk of preterm birth and of having babies that need neonatal intensive care.
The WHO stressed that women who are trying to become pregnant should receive COVID-19 vaccines, as this is an important way to protect themselves and their babies from COVID-19 during pregnancy. According to the WHO, increasing evidence on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy suggests that the benefits of vaccination during pregnancy outweigh potential risks whenever there is ongo-ing or anticipated community transmission of the virus. COVID-19 vaccination before or during pregnancy is especially important in settings with moderate to high community transmission or for women at higher individual risk of exposure or severe illness.
Together with the WHO and DoH, the FDA also recommends COVID-19 vaccination to breastfeeding women. As of January, the agency has received 161 reports from the group of lactating mothers. The most commonly reported adverse reactions from pregnant women include fever, headache, malaise , vaccination site pain, and muscle pain.