- Most pregnant women and mothers said they would receive a safe and free COVID-19 vaccine last fall.
- Fewer women in the US, Russia and Australia said they would get the vaccine.
- Pregnant people may be concerned about harming their fetuses, even if the vaccine has so far been proven safe.
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Pregnant people are eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccines in the US and are preferred in some countries, but whether or not they are vaccinated is largely left to the individual choice.
A survey among pregnant women and mothers of young children around the world recently found that a majority are willing to get a safe and free COVID-19 vaccine, although acceptance has been lower in the US, Russia and Australia.
The questionnaire was issued last fall to nearly 18,000 women in 16 countries, when researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, such a vaccine was hypothetical. Their results were published today in the European Journal of Epidemiology.
Overall, 52% of the pregnant respondents and 73% of the non-pregnant mothers surveyed said that they would get the COVID-19 vaccine themselves if it was safe to use, free and 90% effective against infection. to prevent. Of all women surveyed, 69% said they would vaccinate their children.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been safely administered to more than 20,000 pregnant women. Both shots had efficacy rates of more than 90% in clinical trials, so the vaccinations available in the US look a lot like the hypothetical vaccine described in the survey.
Vaccination was lowest in US, Russia and Australia
Some researchers received higher vaccinations in the fall survey than others, the researchers found.
In the US and Russia, less than 45% of pregnant respondents and less than 56% of non-pregnant respondents said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine themselves. The researchers suspect that this trend is related to the general denial of COVID-19 in the two countries.
Australia and New Zealand also had relatively low incomes for vaccination, but the researchers thought it was more likely related to the dwindling number of COVID-19 cases – the pandemic simply affected Australians less when the survey was conducted there.
According to the results of the survey, the acceptance of the vaccine was highest among pregnant women and mothers of young children in India, the Philippines, Brazil and Mexico.
Suppliers should listen to the problems of pregnant women before explaining the vaccine-supporting science
Those who felt reluctant to get a COVID-19 vaccine generally mentioned a lack of confidence in the process, or they feared that the vaccine development was rapid or politically motivated, as reasons for their hesitation.
Pregnant people had additional concerns about how the vaccine might affect their developing fetus, the survey found.
Based on the way the COVID-19 vaccines work – they do not contain live viruses – the shots are unlikely to develop harm to babies, experts told Insider.
Regarding the speed of the vaccine development process, dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading American expert in infectious diseases, has repeatedly emphasized that the technology used for COVID-19 vaccines has been evolving for years. “The process of velocity has in no way endangered safety, nor scientific integrity,” Fauci said in a White House briefing in November. “It was a reflection of the extraordinary scientific advances in this kind of vaccine, which has enabled us to do things in months that actually lasted years before. So I really want to settle the concerns that people have about it.”
Emily Adhikari, medical director of perinatal infectious diseases at Parkland Hospital in Texas, told Insider that physicians should listen to these concerns and confirm them, while delivering a clear message about the safety of vaccines.
“Pregnant women have extra challenges to weigh the benefits of COVID-19 protection for themselves with the fears and guilt associated with making a decision that they believe could harm the fetus,” said Adhikari, who did not agree with the survey was not connected, written in a report. email to Insider.
“These fears do not have to be based on science – and evidence is growing that it is not – to really be for a mother,” she added.