Pregnant women demand immediate access to Pfizer Covid vaccine

A petition has been launched calling for pregnant women to have better access to the Pfizer vaccine given their increased risk of illness.

Pregnant women are demanding greater access to the Pfizer vaccine and better information about how to protect themselves from Covid-19 due to their increased risk of illness.

Sydney mum-to-be Marie Dowling has launched a petition calling for the Pfizer jab to be proactively offered to pregnant women as a priority after new research showing they are more at risk of complications if they contract a respiratory disease like Covid-19.

“We need to be correctly informed on the benefits of receiving the Pfizer vaccine and, more importantly, we need to become eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine as soon as possible to protect ourselves and the children we carry,” she said.

“Pregnant women haven’t been informed enough or haven’t been informed correctly on the higher risk to themselves and their baby should they not get the vaccine and contract Covid-19.”

New research has found pregnant women who contract Covid-19 are more likely to experience complications than those who do not.

Researchers at the University of Oxford found pregnant women with Covid-19 were 50 per cent more likely to experience pregnancy complications, such as premature birth, pre-eclampsia, admission to intensive care and even death, compared to those who did not contract the virus.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) have recommended pregnant women be “routinely offered” the mRNA Pfizer “at any stage of their pregnancy”.

But deputy chief medical officer Professor Michael Kidd said ATAGI had not yet ruled on making pregnancy a priority reason to get access to the Pfizer vaccine.

“We need to wait for the advice from ATAGI as to whether pregnant women themselves become one of the risk groups for our earlier priority vaccination,” he said.

In a statement RANZCOG said the risk of “severe outcomes from Covid-19” was “significantly higher” for pregnant women and their unborn baby, while no safety concerns with giving them the Pfizer mRNA vaccine had been identified.

“Furthermore, there is also evidence of antibody in cord blood and breastmilk, which may offer protection to infants through passive immunity,” the statement said.

Australian health officials have endorsed Pfizer as the preferred vaccine for pregnant women. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

RANZCOG said it was expected the “large majority” of pregnant women who become infected with Covid-19 would experience “only mild or moderate” cold and flu symptoms.

“However, pregnant women are potentially at increased risk of complications from any respiratory disease due to the physiological changes that occur in pregnancy,” the statement said.

“In particular, pregnant women with comorbidities are at higher risk of hospital admission, ventilation and severe illness.”

RANZCOG said based on known data from other similar vaccines, it was unlikely Covid-19 vaccines posed a risk to a pregnant woman or her foetus.

“Pregnant women are encouraged to discuss the decision in relation to timing of vaccination with their health professional,” they said.

“Women who are trying to become pregnant do not need to delay vaccination or avoid becoming pregnant after vaccination.”