A Chatham doctor is glad pregnant women have finally been given a choice to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The province changed its mind and announced a decision last week to include expecting mothers in the Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination roll out.
Dr. Constance Nasello, who is also the president of the Ontario Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the benefit of vaccine protection during pregnancy in preventing the disease is greater than the risks of taking the vaccine. Obstetrical societies agree that the vaccine should be available to at-risk pregnant women who wish to get it.
Nasello added that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for expecting mothers and she has been advocating this for a long time. She calls the change of heart encouraging news for pregnant women because they're at greater risk of infection without the vaccine and can die during pregnancy if they get the virus.
"Pregnant women were left out of the mix altogether and pregnant women are as immune suppressed as someone with a chronic immune condition like rheumatoid arthritis. Our bodies would recognize the foreign DNA in the uterus and would try to eliminate it," said Nasello. "Any viral infection during pregnancy can have harmful outcomes for mom and baby."
She admitted none of the approved vaccines have been tested on pregnant women but added that over 100,000 pregnant women have recently received the COVID-19 vaccine through the University of Washington and there have been no major vaccine related issues unique to pregnancy. Dr. Nasello said in Canada, the University of British Columbia is collecting data on pregnant women so we can have unique information here.
Nasello added there are no adverse effects for expecting mothers taking the vaccine and recommends Pfizer or Moderna but added pregnant women should talk to their doctors if they have questions about the vaccine to make sure it's the right choice for them.
Dr. Nasello is also Chair of the Ontario Medical Association section on Obstetrics and Gynecology and said COVID-19 infections are easily transmissible, resulting in hospital admissions of 8-11 per cent in pregnant individuals who are infected, and a 2-4 per cent rate of ICU admission for severe complications compared to non-pregnant women.
"Obstetricians have always had to make science-informed decisions on the use of medications in pregnancy and lactation. Pregnancy is a particularly dangerous time for women. Those who acquire viral infections in pregnancy are often sicker, and emerging evidence on COVID-19 shows a higher rate of ICU admissions and severe disease," she said. "Pregnant individuals at high risk, such as frontline healthcare workers, may choose to receive the vaccine and they should be supported."
