Should pregnant women have the COVID-19 vaccination? (yes)
Yes, yes and triple yes!
Vaccination protects you and your baby.
Risks to pregnant women are increasing with the changing variants of COVID-19. If you are pregnant and get COVID-19 you have:
- An up to 1 in 3 chance of a pre-term birth
- A 1 in 3 chance of developing pneumonia and needing breathing support like ventilation
- A 1 in 5 chance of your baby needing admission to a neonatal unit
- A 1 in 8 chance of being admitted to intensive care, with a significant risk of dying.
Of all the pregnant women admitted to hospital with COVID-19, 98% of them are unvaccinated.
The pandemic is not over. COVID-19 can occur at any time in pregnancy and can cause serious harm to you and your baby. The vaccine has now been given to over 160,000 pregnant women with close monitoring and no safety concerns have been found.
It is safe to breastfeed after your vaccine, and you do not need to stop breastfeeding in order to get vaccinated.
You can get a COVID-19 vaccination at local walk-in centres, having booked it online. More information here on how to book one.
Not getting vaccinated could cause serious harm to you and your baby.
Frequently asked questions on the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy and postnatal period can be found here.
