COVID shots safe for pregnant women, doctors say
Study of nearly 100,000 expecting moms found no increase in safety concerns
Dr. Meghan Gilley, an emergency room physician who was vaccinated against COVID -19 while pregnant with her first child, is encouraging other expecting mothers to protect themselves and their babies by getting the shot.
B.C. announced this week that pregnant people will be given priority for the vaccines and shots could be offered to children 12 and older before the end of the school year, prompting physicians to assure both groups that the vaccines are safe, in an effort to dispel hesitancy.
Gilley, an emergency room physician at B.C. Children's Hospital, received doses of the Pfizer vaccine in January and the end of February, shortly before she gave birth at full-term to a health baby boy named Henry on Feb. 28. The 35-year-old got early access to the vaccine along with other health care workers.
Gilley said the nature of her work in the emergency room had put her at higher risk of contracting the virus, which made getting inoculated a no-brainer.
“The risk of me becoming ill if I got COVID was very real and present and the risk of vaccine was likely exceedingly, exceedingly low,” Gilley said. “I wanted to have that extra layer of protection, not only for myself, but also for my baby.”
Dr. Chelsea Elwood, a reproductive infectious-disease specialist at B.C. Women's Hospital, said she's heard from pregnant people who have questions or concerns about whether the vaccine is safe. Her message is clear: “We recommend any COVID -19 vaccine at any time in pregnancy and with breastfeeding.”
Elwood was part of a University of British Columbia team that analyzed a year's worth of data on pregnant women and found that they're more likely to become severely ill from COVID and need to be hospitalized and, to a lesser extent, end up in intensive care than people in the same age category. Pregnant people who contract the virus are also at higher risk of preterm delivery.
A study of more than 96,000 pregnant people who received a COVID-19 vaccine by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found no increased safety concerns relating to the vaccines.
B.C. pediatricians are also trying to educate parents about the benefits of vaccinating their children after Health Canada approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for kids aged 12 and older on Wednesday.
The provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said B.C. adolescents could receive their first dose before the end of the school year. Vaccination clinics at schools haven't been ruled out.
Dr. Fawziah Lalji, a professor in the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of B.C., said that while COVID-19 is often not as severe for children as it is for adults, “it would be inaccurate to say that it is benign.”
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control's latest situation report, covering April 18 to 24, shows a new case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in a B.C. child, bringing the total cases of the rare COVID-related illness to 11. In April, a B.C. toddler with other health problems died as a result of COVID -19.
Lalji said vaccinating kids may also help B.C. achieve herd immunity. “If we want to reach the target of 70 to 80 per cent of the population (protected against COVID -19) this would also include children.”
For Chilliwack mom Katie Bartel, the vaccine's approval for kids 12 and older was a relief. Her 13-year-old daughter, Sofie, has Down syndrome and hasn't been able to attend school since before Christmas.
She hopes to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
“We've felt so helpless for so long,” Bartel said. “This is a social justice issue for us. People exercising their right to choose to be vaccinated takes away my daughter's choice to go to school and live a normal life.”
Vancouver pediatrician Ran Goldman said parents may have questions about the efficacy and safety of a new vaccine.
“Acknowledging the questions is the first part. We need to understand the concerns and answer the questions,” he said.
Vaccine hesitancy can be combated through education and a two-way conversation between health officials and the public, said Dr. Heidi Tworek, a UBC professor of history and public policy who is an expert in health communication.
“We've seen that sentiments about vaccines are quite malleable,” Tworek said. “The polls tell us that people do change their minds, which means that communication matters.”
A trial of more than 2,200 youth aged 12 and older in the United States recorded no cases of COVID -19 among vaccinated kids.
Health Canada's chief medical adviser, Dr. Supriya Sharma, said the evidence shows the vaccine is safe and effective for adolescents.
I wanted to have that extra layer of protection, not only for myself, but also for my baby.