VACCINATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING

CDC and the independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have provided information to assist pregnant people with their decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

At this time, ACIP recommends that certain groups (e.g., healthcare personnel, followed by other frontline essential workers) are offered vaccination during the first months of the COVID-19 vaccination program. People who are pregnant and part of a group recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine may choose to be vaccinated. If they have questions about getting vaccinated, a discussion with a healthcare provider might help them make an informed decision.

Pregnant people are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19

Observational data demonstrate that, while the chances for these severe health effects are low, pregnant people with COVID19 have an increased risk of severe illness, including illness that results in ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death compared with non-pregnant women of reproductive age. Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 might be at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth, compared with pregnant women without COVID-19.

There are limited data about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are pregnant

Until findings are available from clinical trials and additional studies, only limited data are available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, including mRNA vaccines, administered during pregnancy:

• Limited data are currently available from animal developmental and reproductive toxicity studies. No safety concerns were demonstrated in rats that received Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy; studies of the PzerBioNTech vaccine are ongoing.

• Studies in people who are pregnant are planned.

• Both vaccine manufacturers are monitoring people in the clinical trials who became pregnant.