The Australian College of Midwives (ACM) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) have reiterated the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.
Pregnant women who have not yet had their first, second or booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are being urged to get their jab as soon as possible.
RANZCOG President Dr Benjamin Bopp said: “Vaccines are safe and protection from COVID-19 is incredibly important for pregnant women and their babies.”
“Please get vaccinated and get your booster whenever it’s due. Any time. Any trimester.”
ACM President Professor Joanne Gray said: “COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women is safe and effective. Ensuring vaccination is up to date is the best way to protect mothers and babies against severe illness from COVID-19 infection.
With high rates of COVID-19 in the community, protecting ourselves through vaccination is more important than ever.”
Professor Gray and Dr Bopp encouraged pregnant women to speak to their midwife or doctor about COVID vaccination.
mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 are recommended for all people trying to conceive (either spontaneously, or through IVF), pregnant, or breastfeeding. This advice is based on robust data supporting safety in these circumstances.
Specifically:
• There is no evidence of negative impact on fertility
• There is no evidence of an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth or other adverse
pregnancy outcomes
• There is no evidence of negative impacts on the health of the breastfed infant
• Conversely, infection with COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk of severe disease,
hospitalisation, admission to intensive care, mechanical ventilation, and death, in pregnant women,
and an increased risk of prematurity and stillbirth.