priority pregnant women for the vaccine

At the start of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, pregnant women were not among the target audiences. Things changed on March 2, when the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) indicated in a notice than “despite the lack of sufficient data, during pregnancy, the administration of vaccines against Covid-19 in pregnant women is not contraindicated”. She added that she had to “be considered if the potential benefits outweigh the risks to the mother and fetus”. In urgent note published on April 3, 2021, the General Directorate of Health (DGS) indicates that future mothers are now among the priority people to receive the vaccine.

Which pregnant women can get vaccinated against Covid-19?

“Priority access to vaccination against Covid-19 is extended to pregnant women, with or without co-morbidities, from the second trimester of pregnancy”, announced the DGS. This opening follows requests from health professionals, and in particular from the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (Cngof), who have repeatedly reported that future mothers are fragile people in the face of the coronavirus.

What Covid-19 Vaccines Are Recommended During Pregnancy?

In accordance with the recommendations of the HAS and the Reference Center on Teratogenic Agents (CRAT), the vaccines that will be administered to pregnant women are those with messenger RNA and not those based on a viral vector like that of AstraZeneca. For the former, designed in particular by Pfizer and Moderna, “animal studies have not shown any consequence on the development of the fetus”.

Covid and pregnancy: what are the risks for mom and baby?

Video by Benjamine Rombhot