Dr Anthony Fauci says there were ‘no red flags’ after tens of thousands of pregnant women were vaccinated against COVID -19.
During an information session in the White House on Wednesday, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases said that in the coming months Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s shots were given, without any unexpected side effects.
“I want to point out that since the EUA 9 emergency permit) and under the EUA, about 20,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated without red flags, as we say, and it is being monitored by the CDC and the FDA,” Fauci said. .
While pregnant women have not been included in clinical trials for any vaccine approved in the U.S., some clinical trials, including pregnant women, are about to begin or are already underway, he added.
Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that COVID-19 vaccines should not be used on pregnant women – and subsequently returned its advice, saying that vaccines could be administered safely to mothers.
It’s also because states like Illinois and New York are expanding their suitability for shots to pregnant women.
Dr Anthony Fauci (pictured) said on Wednesday there were no ‘red flags’ after 20,000 pregnant women received coronavirus vaccinations.
Fauci said clinical trials with pregnant women will begin or be ongoing, but will not require tens of thousands, just enough volunteers to show safety and efficacy (file image)
The WHO recommended that pregnant women not be vaccinated – and then take the lead back – which would affect more than three million pregnant women in the US, as the country still vaccinates around 1.5 million people every day (above)
To date, there have been no vaccine trials that have included pregnant women – and this is expected to be only after the first quarter of 2021 – which means there are no safety data, the WHO says.
Researchers want to establish that the vaccines are safe and effective in healthy, non-pregnant people before testing them on expectant mothers and their future children.
As far as children and pregnant women are concerned, as I mentioned in a previous discussion with this group, the fact remains that we will start clinical trials, and that some have already started. We do not have to do tens of thousands of people, ‘Fauci said.
‘We’ll just need to be measured in hundreds to thousands for safety and whether we’ll bring about an immune response equal to the immune response that has been proven to be protective among trials that is now 94 to 95 percent effective. ‘
Doctors in the US have opposed the exclusion of pregnant women from vaccination recommendations because of their high risk of serious COVID-19 diseases and say patients should decide for themselves whether they want the shot or not.
In a virtual information session last month, the director of vaccination, Kate O’Brien of the WTO, emphasized the need for clinical trials on the Moderna vaccine on pregnant women.
‘There is no reason to think that there may be a problem during pregnancy. We just acknowledge that the information is not there at the moment, ‘she said.
However, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology strongly opposed the exclusion of pregnant women from vaccination trials and guidance.
In a statement, the organization writes that pregnant women should choose for themselves whether they want to be vaccinated, and that they should be informed of any risks.
“Pregnant individuals are more likely to have certain manifestations of serious illnesses associated with COVID-19 infection, such as ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death,” the statement said.
‘Furthermore, more than half of pregnant individuals also fall into another high priority category, including frontline workers and those with underlying conditions.
“ACOG insists that the decision to vaccinate pregnant women should be left to each patient in consultation with their trusted clinician.”
There are currently no data on how many women became pregnant during Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine trial.
At the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee meeting on the recommendation of whether Pfizer’s vaccine was approved – the only other shot approved in the US – researchers revealed that 23 pregnancies during the trial at 14 November took place.
Many gynecologists have opposed the exclusion of pregnant women from vaccination recommendations because pregnant COVID-19 patients are twice as likely to be included in treatment needs and three times more likely to require mechanical ventilation (above).
Of the pregnancies, 12 were among the vaccine group and 11 among the placebo group.
In the vaccine group, four were vaccinated before their last menstrual period, four within 30 days after their last menstrual period and four more than 30 days thereafter.
In the placebo group, two routes were vaccinated before their last menstrual period, six within 30 days after their last menstrual period and two more than 30 days thereafter.
No outcomes are known yet, except for one woman in the placebo group who was less than 20 weeks pregnant.
It is not uncommon for pregnant women not to include in vaccine trials.
Expecting mothers, for example, was never included in flu shots, but was encouraged by doctors to get it after years of data showing that the jab behaves normally in healthy participants.
Doctors say they are concerned about pregnant women not receiving the coronavirus vaccine because the workforce is millions of pregnant women or breastfeeding women.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), 75 percent of healthcare workers are female and about 330,000 healthcare professionals may be pregnant or recently postpartum during the implementation of the vaccine. ‘
What’s more, the CDC data show that pregnant COVID-19 patients are twice as likely to have ICUs, and three times more likely to require mechanical ventilation than non-pregnant women with the disease.
Recently, the Association for Maternal-Fetal Medicine called on the federal government to include pregnant and lactating women in vaccine trials.
Dr Kristina Adams Waldorf, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told DailyMail.com last month that she believes pregnant women should be vaccinated.
“We are absolutely amazed at this statement from the World Health Organization,” said Adams Waldorf.
‘And no one completely understands where this recommendation comes from. We have excellent animal safety data, we biologically understand how it [disease] work and we know what the risk is facing pregnant patients,
‘One in 80 has a chance of dying. It really is. ‘