Public heath boss encourages pregnant women to get Covid vaccine

Julia Burrows has backed England’s chief midwife Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent’s call for expectant mums to get the Covid-19 vaccine, after new data shows the majority of pregnant women hospitalised with the virus have not had the vaccine.

According to NHS England, since May, just three women had been admitted after having their first vaccine, but 98 per cent of pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid-19 had not been jabbed.

New figures, collated by the UK Obstetric Surveillance System and released by the NHS, also reveal that across the country, no pregnant women with both doses of the vaccine have been admitted to hospital as a result of illness from Covid-19.

Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent has written to fellow midwives and GP practices across the country stressing the need to encourage pregnant women to get the jab to protect them and their baby.

Ms Burrows said: “Covid-19 vaccines are recommended in pregnancy, as it’s the best way to protect against the known risks of Covid-19 in pregnancy for both you and your baby.

“You can discuss the benefits and risks of having the vaccine with your midwife, obstetrician or GP to get the answers you need and reach a joint decision based on your individual circumstances.

“While broadly in line with the current rise in hospital admissions due to coronavirus, the new data shows the number of pregnant women being admitted to hospital with Covid-19 is increasing and many needing care are experiencing acute symptoms.

“In the last three months alone, one in three pregnant women in hospital with Covid-19 in England required additional respiratory support -33 percent – with more than a third developing pneumonia, 37 percent, and around one in seven needing intensive care 15 percent.

“If you are pregnant, it’s so important for you to get your vaccine, particularly with the virus being so prevalent and the Delta variant proving itself to be so much more transmissible.”

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