Pregnant women have so far not been considered a priority for vaccination against the coronavirus. Yet recent studies present additional risks of giving birth prematurely.
The government’s strategy is to protect a certain fragile population with serious forms in the face of Covid-19. Currently, those over 75, 50-64 year olds with co-morbidities and caregivers are eligible for vaccination. Pregnant women are not considered a priority. Recently, Belgium has just reviewed its vaccination strategy and pregnant women are now eligible for vaccination. Should France follow its neighbors and include them in its strategy?
Risks of premature birth exist in the event of contamination with SARS-COV-2
According to a recent study of 4,000 American and European women who are pregnant and carriers of Covid-19. The virus would cause a 60% increase in premature births, especially between 32 and 37 weeks. Covid-19 also causes higher maternal mortality. According to the Vaccination Taskforce, the government body responsible for implementing the vaccination strategy in Belgium, vaccines are not dangerous for pregnant women. “There is no reason to believe that the vaccine would not be effective or that it would be dangerous”, explains Frédéric Debiève, head of the obstetrics department at the Saint-Luc University Clinics. For the experts of the Taskforce the vaccine does not present a risk for pregnancy “Discomfort or fever are possible, but these effects are short-lived and can resolve with rest and paracetamol”.
The High Authority for Health keeps its distance from these recommendations
For its part the HAS remains cautious in the face of these recommendations “In the absence of robust data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine during pregnancy, the High Authority for Health recalls that its use in pregnant women should be considered only if the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks to the mother and fetus ”.
