The Latest on Vaccinations
As the situation with Covid-19 continues to evolve and we learn more about the safety of the vaccinations as well as the risks of not getting vaccinated, more medical experts and trusted medical organizations are recommending vaccinations for pregnant women.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently issued their formal recommendations, urging pregnant women to get vaccinated, reinforcing that the vaccines are safe and effective. Likewise, the FDA gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine earlier this week.
Dr. Erin Stevens, whose own family including her baby contracted Covid this summer, is pleading with all patients to get vaccinated.
“We have been so cautious, so it was incredibly upsetting when I received the call about Lorelei’s positive test result,” said Dr. Stevens, whose husband also tested positive. “We have all made it through, but I worry about long-term effects there might be for any of us, especially her.”
She credits the fact that she and her husband were vaccinated for relatively mild symptoms and believes that her daughter likely received antibodies via breastmilk. Still, she says she is anxious about the more aggressive variants on the horizon and concerned about people who are hesitant to get vaccinated.
“This virus is going to continue to mutate with more aggressive variants if we’re unable to control it. The importance of vaccination and masking cannot be stressed enough,” Dr. Stevens added.
More than 357 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been given in the United States between Dec. 14, 2020 and Aug. 16, 2021. The vaccines are safe and effective, having been evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. They met the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality.
If you have questions about the Covid-19 vaccine, please consult with your care team.
