Covid-19 vaccine deemed ‘safe, beneficial’ for pregnant people

The Covid-19 vaccine has been deemed “safe and beneficial” for pregnant people after a study found it had no effects on a pregnancy outcome.

The Covid-19 vaccine doesn’t affect pregnancy outcomes, with experts encouraging pregnant people to continue getting the jab, according to a new study.

The international study from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US brought together and reanalysed data from nine previous studies that looked at more than 81,000 vaccinated and more than 255,000 unvaccinated people during pregnancy.

The study is said to have found no link between vaccination and preterm birth, small for gestational age, low Apgar score, caesarean delivery, post-partum haemorrhage, or chorioamnionitis, which is an infection of the amniotic fluid and tissue around the foetus.

International scientists who conducted the study found that vaccination was linked to a lower risk of mums-to-be catching Covid-19 and of ending up in neonatal intensive care.

A study is said to have found no link between vaccination and preterm birth.

The final findings of the study showed that the Covid-19 vaccination was safe and beneficial for pregnant people, and they were encouraged to continue getting the jab.

The official advice from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is for all people to get the Covid-19 jab, including those trying to conceive, are pregnant or are breastfeeding.

In August, the RANZCOG however issued updated advice for those prescribed antiviral therapies for Covid-19 infections.

“Antiviral drugs have just become more widely available in Australia and are also available in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“These drugs can temporarily affect reproductive health in both men and women,” the statement said.

It warned that Lagevrio was not recommended during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, while Paxlovid should be used alongside contraception during and after treatment.