EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I (WPRI) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data Wednesday on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine and recommended that all people who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant should get vaccinated.
The CDC said researchers looked at nearly 2,500 women who received the vaccine early in pregnancy and found there was no increased risk of miscarriage.
Miscarriages typically occur in 11–16% of pregnancies, according to the CDC, and the study found the miscarriage rate among those who received the vaccine was about 13%.
Additionally, previous studies conducted by the CDC did not find any safety concerns for people who were vaccinated late in their pregnancy or for their babies.
According to the CDC, the combined data and known risks of COVID-19 during pregnancy demonstrate that receiving the vaccine outweighs any potential risks.
“The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
Clinicians have seen an increase in the number of pregnant women infected with the virus in recent weeks, the CDC said, adding that the risk of severe illness and pregnancy complications are more urgent due to the more aggressive delta variant.
