Pregnant women are now given priority for being vaccinated against Covid-19. Health authorities recommend administering those with messenger RNA.
- Since the start of the vaccination campaign in France, 10,507,294 people have received at least one injection (i.e. 15.7% of the total population and 20.0% of the adult population) and 3,601,263 people have received two injections (i.e. 5.4% of the total population and 6.9% of the adult population).
- France has had 98,395 deaths from Covid-19 since the start of the epidemic a year ago.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday, pregnant women over four months – i.e. the second trimester of pregnancy – will be able to go without an appointment to the vaccination center at the Stade de France, in Seine-Saint-Denis. According to the Ile-de-France Regional Health Agencyaccess is even dedicated to them.
Until March, expectant mothers could not be vaccinated. The High Authority of Health (HAS) argued a lack of data on the possible side effects on this category of the population. Indeed, for a long time, studies and clinical trials for the development of vaccines against Covid-19 did not include pregnant women.
No contraindications to vaccination during pregnancy
However, as of March 2, the National Academy of Medicine pleaded in a press release for the vaccination of pregnant women, especially if they were at risk. She indicated that “although pregnancy is not yet unanimously considered a serious factor, several data suggest an increased risk. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of more than 450,000 women with symptomatic Covid-19 shows that the rate of intensive care unit admission, invasive ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and death is higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women of childbearing age. In addition, Covid-19 multiplies by 3 the risk of premature delivery. In addition, the factors classically associated with maternal morbidity, such as age over 35, overweight, obesity, hypertension and diabetes, expose women with Covid-19 to more severe forms. Considering these risks, should we recommend vaccination against Covid-19 to pregnant women? There are no contraindications to the administration of vaccines during pregnancy”. And added that it was necessary “vaccinate any pregnant woman professionally or family exposed, or carrier of a comorbidity”.
Prioritize messenger RNA vaccines
The same day, the HAS estimated also that “despite the lack of sufficient data during pregnancy, the administration of vaccines against Covid-19 in pregnant women is not contraindicated; it should be considered if the potential benefits outweigh the risks to mother and fetus. (…) The HAS (…) recommends favoring mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines in pregnant women, for which animal studies have not shown any consequences on the development of the fetus. Thus, three days later, some future mothers were authorized to be vaccinated. Then, on April 3, a note from the General Directorate of Health included all pregnant women as priority groups for vaccination, but only from the second trimester of pregnancy.
“Nothing stands in the way of administering the 2nd injection”
“As the mRNA and viral vector vaccines against Covid 19 are devoid of infectivity, there is no reason to fear an embryo-fetal infection by SARS-Cov 2 during vaccination during pregnancy,” estimates the Reference Center on Teratogenic Agents (CRAT), an information service on the risks of drugs, vaccines, radiation and addictions, during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The CRAT also reassures women who have injected the first dose of the vaccine and discovered later that they were pregnant. In this case, experts assure that “There is nothing to prevent the administration of the 2nd injection, according to the recommended vaccination schedule.”
In Ile-de-France, the list of priority people for vaccination against Covid-19 is getting longer. Today, it concerns people aged over 70 living at home, those aged 18 to 74 with pathologies leading to a very high risk of a serious form of Covid-19, elderly people living in independent residences, service residences and other establishments, and those aged 60 living in hostels for migrant workers.
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