From the CDC Division of Reproductive Health on urgent health advisory: “As of September 27, 2021, more than 125,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in pregnant people, including more than 22,000 hospitalized cases and 161 deaths. The highest number of COVID-19-related deaths in pregnant people in a single month of the pandemic was reported in August 2021.
In addition, 2021 data indicates that approximately 97% of pregnant people hospitalized (either for illness or for labor and delivery) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were unvaccinated.
HAN recommends urgent actions for public health jurisdictions and healthcare providers and emphasizes these key messages:
- Pregnant and recently pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of severe illness, death, and pregnancy complications.
- CDC strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccination either before or during pregnancy because the benefits of vaccination for both pregnant persons and their fetus/infant outweigh known or potential risks.
- Despite recommendations for vaccination, COVID-19 vaccination coverage among pregnant people remains low, and coverage differs by race and ethnicity.
Efforts to encourage and offer vaccination to these populations should continue and accelerate, should specifically address groups with lower vaccination coverage, and should use approaches to reduce racial and ethnic disparities and promote vaccine equity. In addition, healthcare providers should communicate the risks of COVID-19, the benefits of vaccination, and information on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.”
COVID-19 vaccine and additional resources are available on the MNPQC website.
CDC estimates of vaccination before and during pregnancy: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations-pregnant-women
CDC Vaccine Confidence Insights Reports: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/vaccinate-with-confidence.html
