A recent study from a major American medical journal shows that Covid vaccinations and pregnancy are not mutually exclusive. The details of Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Doctor’s Daily.
franceinfo: What does this study tell us?
Martin Ducret: This study, published in JAMA, a major American medical journal, shows that vaccination against Covid-19 during pregnancy, regardless of the term, is safe for mothers and newborns. To reach this conclusion, the authors of this work went through all the studies on the subject, and selected only the most solid studies: what are called comparative studies, and which compared vaccinated pregnant women with at least one dose, to unvaccinated pregnant women.
What emerges is that vaccination did not lead to an increased risk of premature delivery, of problems with the weight or vitality of the baby at birth, or of hemorrhage or infection in the mother, during of childbirth.
This study even reveals that vaccination in pregnant women is beneficial?
Indeed, the authors have shown that vaccination during pregnancy also protects the mother and her baby from complications related to Covid infection. Thanks to this study, we can now say that vaccination against Covid in pregnant women is safe, and strongly recommended at any time during pregnancy.
Regarding bivalent vaccines, new on the market, can they be administered to pregnant women?
Yes, they are also safe for pregnant women. I contacted Pr Alain Fischer, the president of the vaccine strategy orientation council, who explained to me that the new bivalent vaccines have, with few details, the same mechanism of action as the initial vaccines messenger RNA. That explains why there aren’t more risks with these new vaccines.
In addition to the Covid, the flu epidemic will appear. The vaccination campaign begins this Tuesday, October 18. Can we be vaccinated against these two viruses at the same time?
Yes of course. A shot in each arm, flu on one side, Covid on the other, does not entail any additional risk! I would like to point out that vaccination against the flu is recommended for nursing staff and fragile people, including pregnant women.