Covid: Rise in unvaccinated pregnant women ill with Covid

Pregnant women should get a Covid jab after a rise in those without vaccines needing hospital care, Wales' chief medical officer has said.

Dr Frank Atherton said there had been an increase in the number of pregnant women with serious illness from Covid.

Covid vaccines are recommended for pregnant women by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) and Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

Dr Atherton said the jab was "safe and effective" in all stages of pregnancy.

He said catching Covid during pregnancy carried a "significant risk" of hospital admission and pregnant women could be at "increased risk of severe illness" compared with the rest of the population, particularly in the third trimester.

He added: "The Covid-19 vaccine can protect mums and babies from avoidable harm.

"We now have a lot of worldwide experience to know that the vaccine is safe and effective at all stages of pregnancy - women shouldn't wait, take it as soon as possible whether planning pregnancy or already pregnant."

He said the vaccine was based on science that has been used safely on pregnant women for many years, including jabs already administered during pregnancy, such as whooping cough and the flu jab.

"The Covid-19 vaccine can be given at any time of a pregnancy," he said.

"I would encourage people to contact their health board if they have not accepted their offer. The latest evidence and medical professionals agree that the vaccine provides the greatest protection from Covid-19."

The latest Covid figures showed there were 520 people in hospital with Covid in Wales, with an average of 42 admissions each day.

Dr Viki Male, a lecturer in reproductive immunology at Imperial College London, told Gareth Lewis on BBC Radio Wales earlier this week vaccines were safe and effective for those already pregnant and people trying to conceive.

She said: "We know that Covid is dangerous during pregnancy, particularly in the second half of pregnancy. If you catch Covid it's more likely that your baby will be born pre-term. It's also more likely that your baby will be stillborn.

"So if you're thinking of becoming pregnant, you might want to get the vaccine so you're protected in advance."

She added there was no evidence Covid vaccines had stopped people from conceiving, including in IVF settings, and that those already pregnant should get vaccinated.

"If you're already pregnant we have absolutely loads of data about how safe the vaccines are in pregnancy," she said.

"There's no increased risk of miscarriage, pre-term birth, stillbirth, the baby being smaller than we expect, or any congenital abnormalities.

"We recommend Covid vaccination during pregnancy, we do not recommend getting Covid during pregnancy."