The CDC Urges COVID Vaccines For Anyone Who's Pregnant ...

With the delta variant surging, "All people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant now or might become pregnant in the future" should get vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC urges.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doubling down on its recommendation that people who are pregnant get the COVID-19 vaccine following new data underscoring its safety and effectiveness throughout pregnancy.This recommendation is coming at a time when doctors across the country are reporting an uptick in the number of unvaccinated pregnant people getting hospitalized with severe cases of COVID-19.The low vaccination rate in this group is striking, doctors note. "It's really tragic."Such cases are why the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine — the two leading organizations representing physicians and scientists who specialize in obstetric care — recommended on July 30 that all who are pregnant get the COVID-19 vaccine."It's kind of a perfect storm situation," says Dr. Mark Turrentine, an obstetrics professor at Baylor College of Medicine, who is also the co-chair of a COVID-19 work group for ACOG. "And, unfortunately, also increased risk of stillbirth."It's an especially dangerous situation when someone who's pregnant gets a symptomatic case of COVID-19, Turrentine notes, as he breaks down the statistics."There is a threefold increase of intensive care unit admission," he says, "two-and-half-fold increase risk of being put on mechanical ventilation or bypass support, and there's even, you know, a little over a one-and-half-fold increased risk of death."Medical professionals and scientists don't know exactly why those who are pregnant are at such high risk when they become infected with the virus, but they are concerned this population is especially vulnerable because so many remain unvaccinated.Since April, the CDC has recommended vaccines for those who are pregnant as the best way to protect them and their babies from the coronavirus.