A UW professor of obstetrics and gynecology says pregnant women face greater risks with COVID.
SEATTLE — Since 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine has been strongly recommended for pregnant women. Four years later, there has been a major shift in the Department of Health and Human Services.
What’s in a recommendation? Turns out, a lot.
In August 2021, under the first Trump administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women is safe. Four years later, a change of course from the second administration came with an announcement from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“The COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule,” Kennedy said.
Days later, COVID vaccine recommendations for healthy pregnant women are now absent.
“I was really upset because it does not follow the science,” said Dr. Linda Eckert, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UW Medicine.
Dr. Eckert points out that even healthy pregnant women who get COVID are more frequently hospitalized.
“They’re more frequently require a ventilator for breathing. They even die more frequently. And when pregnant individuals get sick, then it’s not good for their babies,” she said.
She’s not alone in her alarm over the HHS’s stance to remove the vaccine recommendation. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated:
“As ob-gyns who treat patients every day, we have seen firsthand how dangerous COVID-19 infection can be during pregnancy and for newborns who depend on maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection. We also understand that despite the change in recommendations from HHS, the science has not changed.”
Dr. Eckert adds that pregnant women are more vulnerable not only to COVID but respiratory infections in general.
“You know, they have a different physiology in their lungs. There is even less capacity as the uterus pushes up on the lungs and makes the lungs not able to expand as well,” Eckert said.
Pregnant women are also at higher risk of blood clots, especially if COVID impacts the placenta.
“One of the reasons probably for increased risk of hypertension in pregnancy and increased risk of stillbirth during pregnancy if you contract COVID is the impact of COVID and on the vascular system in the placenta,” Eckert explained.
Eckert emphasizes that COVID shots will still be available for pregnant women. However, there are concerns about insurance coverage.
“I think some of the challenge points that is yet to be seen is how our insurance companies going to react because they tend to follow the CDC recommendations for paying for the vaccine,” Eckert noted.
Despite the absence of a federal recommendation, Eckert says patients who are expecting should talk with their health provider about what’s best for them.
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