Pregnant women are getting vaccinated against COVID at a lower rate than their non-pregnant peers according to data from the CDC. It is particularly low among those 18 to 24 as well as black and Hispanic women.
University of Minnesota Infectious Disease Director Doctor Michael Osterholm said it’s a problem that needs fixing. Speaking to the Chad Hartman Show on News Talk 830 WCCO, Osterholm said not being vaccinated could cause potential problems down the road.
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These numbers always speaks exactly to the point that we've been talking about for some time as we have these pockets of under-vaccinated individuals, in some cases, very significant,” Osterholm says. “Our concern is if this vaccine’s going to have some bad impact on my unborn child. And the overarching critical message that I hope everyone takes away is the data is compelling on how safe these vaccines are for pregnant women.”
Osterholm says actually getting the virus is a serious risk for pregnant women.
“We see real complications among pregnant women who get infected with COVID and what that does to them or their potential unborn child,” Osterholm tells Chad Hartman. “So I can't say this more clearly. Please get vaccinated if you're pregnant. If you're anticipating getting pregnant.”
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According to the Centers for Disease Control, pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people. The CDC recommends getting a COVID-19 vaccine if pregnant saying and adds if you have questions about getting vaccinated, a conversation with your healthcare provider might help, but is not required for vaccination.
As to a risk that vaccines damage the potential of pregnancy in the future, Osterholm says there is no evidence of that happening.
“We've heard rumors to the effect that somehow this will damage your fertility or have less likelihood of getting pregnant. That's just simply not the case.”
Osterholm said there is still lot of work to do in order to safely get vaccines in many parts of the population. Numbers of vaccines across Minnesota and most of the country have slowed since initially becoming widely available in April.
As of Wednesday, more than three million Minnesotans have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine according to the daily update provided by the MN Department of Health. The state is reporting the lowest number of new cases and hospitalizations since the earliest weeks of the pandemic.
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