Coronavirus: Pregnant women deemed a priority group for Pfizer

Pregnant women have been designated a priority group and are now eligible to book for Covid-19 vaccines.

Pregnant women are now eligible to book their Pfizer vaccines. Picture: istock

Pregnant women have been designated a priority group and are now eligible to book for Covid-19 vaccines, the federal health department has confirmed.

“All pregnant women aged 16 years and over have now been prioritised and are immediately eligible for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination,” the health department said in a statement. “Vaccination providers can now vaccinate willing pregnant women aged 16 years and over, effective immediately.”

“Pregnant women are encouraged to discuss the decision in relation to timing of vaccination with their health professional, but are able to have it administered at either primary care sites offering Pfizer or through sites managed by the jurisdictions.

Any pregnant women seeking a vaccination can call the National coronavirus Hotline [phone]) to find relevant clinics.”

The determination follows a joint statement from the Australian Technical Advisory Group and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists that pregnant women should be routinely offered the Pfizer vaccine.

“RANZCOG and ATAGI recommend that pregnant women are routinely offered Pfizer mRNA vaccine at any stage of pregnancy,” the joint statement published on June 9 said. “This is because the risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 is significantly higher for pregnant women and their unborn baby.”

However, obstetricians were concerned that the federal government’s vaccine eligibility checker continued to advise pregnant women when they attempt to book that they were not in a priority group, and called for the checker to be immediately updated.

Health authorities had been criticised for not immediately acting on the ATAGI recommendation, with pregnant women among the higher risk groups exposed to Covid-19 during the recent Sydney outbreak.

Since the start of the vaccine program, no pregnant woman who has fallen into other priority groups and been vaccinated has required hospitalisation after being exposed to Covid-19.

RANZCOG welcomed the announcement that pregnant women are now eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

RANZCOG President Dr Vijay Roach said: “We recognise that these decisions are complex, which is why we have worked closely with the government, and we are pleased that they have responded to the medical advice.

“Pregnant women should be considered a vulnerable group. We don’t want to see any pregnant woman severely ill, or in the ICU, as a result of this disease. While vaccination doesn’t eliminate the risk, it reduces it considerably and we are confident in our advice that the Pfizer vaccination is safe for pregnant women and their babies.”

Dr Roach said all pregnant women considering vaccination should discuss their particular circumstances with their obstetrician, GP or midwife.