With Trial Data Still Limited, Pregnant Women Consider The COVID-19 Vaccine

Scientists and researchers have been talking about COVID-19 vaccines since last spring when the virus first surged through communities. But the timeline for development was really unknown.

“So it was there in my mind, but it wasn’t something I was counting on in terms of protection or timing with pregnancy,” said Samantha Morris.

Morris, who lives in Glastonbury, is about 37 weeks pregnant with her second child. In December, she was notified that she was eligible for a vaccine under phase 1A distribution due to her profession as a psychologist.

“Up until that point in my mind, I either wasn’t getting it while I was pregnant because I wouldn’t have access,” she said, “or I wasn’t going to do it because there wasn’t the data.”

Federal agencies and national organizations recommend that most adults get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s their turn. That’s because large-scale trials have shown that the vaccines are safe and effective. But pregnant people were left out of these initial studies.

Acknowledging the lack of early safety and efficacy data for this population, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the vaccines should be offered to those who are pregnant but that final decisions should be made on an individual basis.

That has left pregnant and lactating patients with a less straightforward decision, one they said can be stressful and frustrating.

Read the rest of the story at Connecticut Public Radio’s website.