The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an urgent message for pregnant women to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.The agency said pregnant women and their unborn babies are at greater risk from COVID-19 than most other populations.It’s the strongest guidance yet issued by the CDC for pregnant women. Local doctors share the concern for their pregnant patients.“Their care is ultimately our number one priority. So, their safety and the safety of their unborn baby are at the utmost importance to us,” said St. Elizabeth OBGYN Dr. Michael Platt-Faulkner.Platt-Faulkner said unlike a federal agency, local doctors are responsible to the patients who know and trust them. Platt-Faulkner highly recommends the vaccine and doesn’t take the responsibility lightly. “We wouldn’t make any recommendations that we don’t stand behind and we don’t think have good data associated with them,” Platt-Faulkner said.The CDC released information that shows only 31% of pregnant women have been vaccinated against COVID-19.Among pregnant women, the CDC has confirmed 125,000 cases of COVID-19, 22,000 hospitalizations, 161 deaths. Of the deaths, 22 have been in August alone. CDC statistics also show symptomatic pregnant women have two times the risk of being admitted to intensive care and 70% increased risk of death. The agency also said COVID-19 increases problems like preterm birth, stillbirth and admission of infants to the ICU.TriHealth infectious disease Dr. Stephen Blatt said part of the reason for low vaccination rates among pregnant women is the rampant spread of social media myths.“There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet that the vaccine somehow interferes with your fertility, which is absolutely not true. There was misinformation that if you got a vaccine, you’d be more likely to have a miscarriage. That is not true,” Blatt said. “These are very safe vaccines.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an urgent message for pregnant women to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
The agency said pregnant women and their unborn babies are at greater risk from COVID-19 than most other populations.
It’s the strongest guidance yet issued by the CDC for pregnant women.
Local doctors share the concern for their pregnant patients.
“Their care is ultimately our number one priority. So, their safety and the safety of their unborn baby are at the utmost importance to us,” said St. Elizabeth OBGYN Dr. Michael Platt-Faulkner.
Platt-Faulkner said unlike a federal agency, local doctors are responsible to the patients who know and trust them. Platt-Faulkner highly recommends the vaccine and doesn’t take the responsibility lightly.
“We wouldn’t make any recommendations that we don’t stand behind and we don’t think have good data associated with them,” Platt-Faulkner said.
The CDC released information that shows only 31% of pregnant women have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Among pregnant women, the CDC has confirmed 125,000 cases of COVID-19, 22,000 hospitalizations, 161 deaths. Of the deaths, 22 have been in August alone.
CDC statistics also show symptomatic pregnant women have two times the risk of being admitted to intensive care and 70% increased risk of death.
The agency also said COVID-19 increases problems like preterm birth, stillbirth and admission of infants to the ICU.
TriHealth infectious disease Dr. Stephen Blatt said part of the reason for low vaccination rates among pregnant women is the rampant spread of social media myths.
“There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet that the vaccine somehow interferes with your fertility, which is absolutely not true. There was misinformation that if you got a vaccine, you’d be more likely to have a miscarriage. That is not true,” Blatt said. “These are very safe vaccines.”
