The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is calling on all pregnant women to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
There is growing evidence showing that women who are pregnant are at increased risk of serious consequences from COVID-19 and as a result, they should be considered a clinical risk group within the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Given that the majority of pregnant women who have been admitted to hospital with severe COVID-19 are unvaccinated, the key priority is to increase the number of pregnant women completing their primary course (2 vaccine doses 8 weeks apart).
Recent data published by the UK Health Security Agency adds to the existing international evidence, which have not identified any safety concerns of vaccinating women during pregnancy. Additional efforts focused on improving vaccine uptake amongst pregnant women will require a coordinated response from professional groups including midwifery, charities and support from local community leaders.
Pregnant women who have completed their primary vaccine course should book their COVID-19 booster if they had their second vaccine dose at least 3 months earlier.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of JCVI COVID-19 Immunisation, said:
“There is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines used in pregnancy increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirths, congenital abnormalities or birth complications. Having a UK approved COVID-19 vaccine is safer than having COVID-19 itself. Women who are pregnant are strongly encouraged to have a first, second or booster vaccine dose as appropriate in order to better protect yourself and your baby from any serious consequences from COVID-19.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, UK Health Security Agency, said:
“The serious risks posed to women who become infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy have become increasingly clear. We know that the vaccines used in the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme have been highly effective in preventing serious complications and those recommended for pregnant women have a good safety record. I would urge all pregnant women to come forward and get their vaccine without delay. This is the best way to protect you and your baby’
Get your COVID Vaccination at Liverpool Women's
The Liverpool Women’s new midwife led vaccination clinic for pregnant women is being held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week, from 9.00am to 4.30pm in the Antenatal Clinic at the hospital.
The service offers dedicated appointment slots for pregnant women and their support partner which are bookable by calling 0151 702 4328 (Option 2 “Antenatal”).
Alternatively you can email antenatalvaccinations@lwh.nhs.uk any time with your name and contact number to make an initial request for an appointment and a member of the team will contact you (between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday) to confirm a date and time that is convenient for you. No drop-in option is available at present and this clinic is only for pregnant women receiving their care at Liverpool Women’s. If you are receiving your care through another provider please contact them for similar vaccine offers or go through the national booking line.
When a pregnant women books and receives their vaccine at Liverpool Women’s, any support partners accompanying them at the time will also be offered both a COVID-19 and flu vaccine.
If you have any concerns or questions about the vaccine, you are encouraged to speak to your midwife beforehand so they can advise you of its safety.
Notes to Editors:
Data from UKOSS and MBRRACE-UK reveal that clinical outcomes following COVID-19 in pregnant women have worsened over the course of the pandemic. The UKOSS study found that the vast majority of pregnant women who were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. Over the course of the pandemic, more pregnant women with COVID-19 are experiencing more severe disease, with more of those hospitalised with COVID-19 being admitted to ICU (7.9% in the first wave compared to 16% in the third wave).
Of women who gave birth in August 2021, COVID-19 vaccination coverage was only about 22% in England, 25% in Scotland and 18% in Wales. Marked variation in vaccine coverage has been observed between women from different socioeconomic groups and ethnic backgrounds.
Pregnant women are at greater risk of serious consequences of COVID-19 than non-pregnant women, but there is no evidence that pregnancy leads to a faster decline in protection from the vaccine than people of the same age. Therefore, pregnant women should book their COVID-19 booster for 3 months after their second dose. Based on the accelerated booster programme, which is now open to all adults, JCVI has concluded that actively identifying and calling in pregnant women for boosting is unlikely to make a substantial difference to the timing of boosting in this group. They therefore agreed that boosters could be provided opportunistically or in line with their age cohort.