The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that pregnant women should be offered COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as people of the same age or risk group. In the USA, around 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated mainly with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and no safety concerns have been identified at this time.
The vaccination efforts were arranged by NHS Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in partnership with Midwives and Maternity colleagues at the Trust, as well as Doncaster’s Primary Care Network.
Local women were able to drop-in to the Antenatal Clinic, which was hosted within the Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, or by contacting their midwife to arrange an appointment Unvaccinated partners were also eligible to take up the offer, with one such individual choosing to do so.
Local expectant mum, Gemma Lee, accepted the offer to be vaccinated saying: “Following a conversation with my Midwife, I decided that, with the best evidence available, this was the right decision for my baby and I. This is a personal choice for mums and partners, and my advice would be to speak to your healthcare providers, read the information that is available and make the decision that is best for you.”
All of those vaccinated at the antenatal clinic have been given a return date to receive their second dose within the next few weeks.
Vaccination is recommended if you have underlying medical conditions such as:
- Immune problems
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Asthma
Or if you are:
- Overweight
- Over the age 35
- In any stage of pregnancy
- Of black and Asian minority ethnic background
Lois Mellor, Director of Midwifery at DBTH said: “Evidence regarding COVID-19 vaccines is being continuously reviewed by the World Health Organization and the regulatory bodies in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe and no safety concerns have been raised.
“As a Trust, we are starting to see more pregnant ladies ill with COVID-19, and as a health professionals we are encouraging local people to ensure you get the protection you need to keep yourself and your baby safe.”
For those local mums who could not make the clinic earlier this week, a number of drop-in clinics are available in Doncaster and can be viewed here: https://www.doncasterccg.nhs.uk/covidvaxclinics/