Pregnant Women Encouraged To Get Covid Vaccine

Pregnant women in Jersey will be offered the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine at the same time as everyone else, based on how old they are and their clinical risk group.

Data shows nearly 100,000 pregnant women in the US have been given either one of those vaccines, with no safety concerns being raised.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation says there are no significant worries with any of the vaccines, but it would prefer that pregnant women get Pfizer or Moderna, rather than Oxford-Astrazeneca.

"There is now no known risk associated with giving the COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy or when breastfeeding, and the vaccines cannot cause infection in either the mother or her unborn baby.

"Every winter, pregnant women are encouraged to have the flu vaccine to protect themselves and their baby against the virus, and this is no different.

"I would like to reassure people that these vaccines are safe, effective and that getting vaccinated remains the best way to be protected against COVID-19. Though uncommon, severe illness due to COVID-19 is more likely to happen later in pregnancy. It is important that we encourage as many people as possible to take up the vaccine when it is offered to them." - Dr. Ivan Muscat, Deputy Medical Officer of Health.

As of Wednesday 21 April, more than 29,000 people had received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

The next update on vaccine uptake will be given this afternoon (29 April).

Like pregnant women, people under the age of 30 will be offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines rather than the Oxford-AstraZeneca one. It's because of concerns regarding a very small number of cases involving blood clots.

"As we move into Phase 2 of the programme and begin to vaccinate more Islanders who are of reproductive age, l’d like to provide reassurance that the vaccines used in the UK and Jersey have undergone robust clinical trials and have met the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)’s standard of safety.

"Vaccination will offer pregnant women the best protection from COVID-19. For pregnant women to make an informed choice about receiving the vaccine, I would encourage anyone who has concerns or would like to be vaccinated to speak to their GP, midwife, obstetrician, or healthcare professional when attending for their vaccine.

"Women who are planning pregnancy, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding can be vaccinated with any of the available vaccines, depending on their age and clinical risk group." - Becky Sherrington, Head of the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme.

The new advice will come into effect from Monday 3 May.