NHS Wales have today began a public Health campaign to convince pregnant women to get the Coronavirus vaccine after research shows they are twice as likely to have a stillbirth. Pregnant women appear no more or less likely to contract the virus, but growing evidence shows that pregnant women with coronavirus are at a higher risk of severe illness and hospital admission compared to non-pregnant women with Coronavirus. Complications such as pre-eclampsia, pre-term birth and stillbirth are twice as likely in pregnant women with Coronavirus compared to pregnant women who don’t have Coronavirus. Risks increase in the third trimester and for women with underlying health conditions. Risks heightens in the third trimester and for women with underlying health conditions. Medical experts are pleading with women to get the vaccine, saying that there are no adverse effects to taking it. Dr. Christopher Johnson, Consultant Epidemiologist and Interim Head of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme for Public Health Wales, said: “Vaccines are safe and highly effective in preventing Coronavirus and reducing risks to pregnant women and their babies.
“In America 160,000 pregnant women have had the Coronavirus vaccine, and here in Wales, Scotland and England 100,000 pregnant women have had the coronavirus vaccine.
No adverse effects on pregnancy have been identified as a result of having the vaccine while pregnant.
“The NHS monitors the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine in pregnancy and we will continue to do so.
“There has been a lot of misinformation around the safety of the vaccines in pregnancy.
“However, research involving more than 40,000 pregnant women shows having the coronavirus vaccine does not increase the risk of miscarriage, pre-term birth or stillbirth.
“However, catching coronavirus while pregnant means you’re twice as likely to develop complications like pre-eclampsia, pre-term birth and stillbirth.
“Although the risks involved are generally quite low, the science shows it is safer to have the vaccine than not have it.”
