The Critical Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy

In Scotland during most of 2021, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rates in pregnant women were nearly half those in nonpregnant women — and unvaccinated pregnant women were nearly fivefold more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated pregnant women.

Information on uptake of COVID-19 vaccines as well as SARS-CoV-2 infection rates and outcomes are lacking among pregnant women. To address this issue, researchers analyzed rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in the COVID-19 in Pregnancy in Scotland study, a national, prospective, dynamic cohort of all women who were pregnant on or after March 1, 2020.

From December 2020 through October 2021, almost 26,000 COVID-19 vaccinations were given during almost 18,400 pregnancies, but COVID-19 vaccine uptake in pregnant women was consistently below that in nonpregnant women of reproductive age. In all, 43% of women who gave birth in October 2021 had received any COVID-19 vaccine doses before delivery, compared with a vaccination rat…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

The Critical Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy

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Reviewing Author