COVID shot is safe during pregnancy, Canadian doctors say after U.S. move
Canada's gynecologists say COVID-19 vaccination 'remains safe and strongly recommended' during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada issued the assurance Wednesday, a day after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a longtime anti-vaccine activist — declared the shot is no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women south of the border.
Pregnant women who become infected with COVID-19 are at higher risk of severe illness requiring hospitalization and intensive care than women who are not pregnant, the SOGC said.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine also helps protect against serious complications associated with the virus, such as preterm birth, it said.
'We have mounting, increasing scientific evidence about the impact of COVID-19 infection or other respiratory viruses on pregnant people and how vaccination does reduce that,' Dr. Darine El-Chaar, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at The Ottawa Hospital said in an interview.
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El-Chaar, who was also speaking on behalf of the SOGC, said pregnant women remain a priority population for COVID vaccination in Canada and that the shot also provides some immunity against the virus for the baby.
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Health Matters: COVID-19 Vaccine Registry for 2023 Pregnancies
Kennedy's move to discontinue the shot in the U.S. is not based on any medical evidence, she said.
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'There's been no study, there's been no clinical trial, no follow-up studies that have suggested any adverse outcomes or impact from COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant populations or infants … that would scientifically influence the decision made by the authorities in the U.S.,' she said.
Citing 'an age of growing misinformation and disinformation,' the SOGC urged women and health-care providers to rely on 'evidence-based science and clinical expertise' to make vaccine decisions.
El-Chaar said that it was important for the group to issue a statement to reassure pregnant women in Canada who see U.S. misinformation on the news or in social media.
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Pregnant women should get a COVID-19 shot, especially if they had their last vaccination more than six months ago, she said.
'I talk about 'one vaccine, two lives.' You're protecting the mom and the baby,' El-Chaar said.
—With files from The Associated Press.
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