20% of critical Covid in unjabbed mums-to-be
Vaccines appeal for pregnant women
PREGNANT women are being urged to get the coronavirus jab after it was revealed one in five critically ill patients are unvaccinated mothers-to-be.
NHS data said they make up 20% of Covid patients getting treatment through a special lung-bypass machine in intensive care.
Officials fear early guidance for expectant mothers to avoid the jab until there was more evidence it was safe has put many off.
The advice changed as getting Covid can be dangerous for pregnant women.
Some badly hit have had Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation therapy.
It is only used when lungs are so damaged a ventilator cannot maintain oxygen levels.
Out of all women between 16 and 49 on the lung-bypass machine, mums-to-be make up 32%, up from 6% at the start of lockdown.
England’s top midwife will today try to reassure women to get the vaccine.
Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent said: “This is another stark reminder the jab can keep you, your baby and your loved ones safe.
“You can receive vaccination at any time in pregnancy but the risks unvaccinated pregnant women face of becoming severely unwell if they catch Covid show exactly why we advise you to do so as soon as possible”. Claire Bromley, 33, from Sittingbourne, Kent, spent nearly a month in a critical care unit after catching Covid while pregnant.
Recovering at home, she said: “The risk of not having the Covid vaccine far outweighs any doubts about having it.”
Public Health England said 81,000 pregnant women have received their first dose while 65,000 have had their second. Carrie Johnson, who is pregnant with her second child, became fully vaccinated this summer and urged others to do the same.
The Prime Minister’s wife said there was no increased risk of miscarriage.
Vaccination during pregnancy has been urged by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Royal College of Midwives.
Data from 100,000 jabs among UK mumsto-be and 160,000 in the US show there has been no harm to the foetus or infant.
Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “The disproportionate number of unvaccinated pregnant women in intensive care demonstrates a significant risk of severe illness from Covid-19 in pregnancy.”
There are concerns the vaccine rollout is faltering with only one in nine secondary school pupils in England inoculated.
Experts warned the slow pace risks the health of children and their older relatives with Covid deaths still averaging 120 a day.
Prof Peter Openshaw said low jab rates among teens would “amplify the outbreak”.