CDC Says Vaccine Guidance for Pregnant Women Unchanged Despite Director’s Remarks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clarified Tuesday that its guidance on vaccines for pregnant women remains unchanged despite remarks from CDC Director Rochelle Walenksy, who on Friday said the CDC “recommends that pregnant people receive the COVID-19 vaccine” following the release of preliminary findings of a New England Journal of Medicine study.

On Tuesday, the CDC clarified that it had not altered its guidance for pregnant woman receiving vaccines, with a spokesperson clarifying the agency’s position that pregnant women should consider the risks of exposure to the Chinese coronavirus and educate themselves on the vaccine, knowing there is “limited but growing evidence about the safety of COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy.”

The spokesperson said:

If facing decisions about whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant, people should consider risk of exposure to COVID-19, the increased risk of severe infection while pregnant, the known benefits of vaccination, and the limited but growing evidence about the safety of COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy.

Pregnant women, the spokesperson added, are eligible to receive the vaccine, and the CDC’s guidance has remained unchanged.

“Based on how these vaccines work in the body, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a specific risk for people who are pregnant,” the CDC’s website currently states, acknowledging “limited data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant people.”

During Friday’s press briefing Walensky previewed the preliminary findings of a New England Journal of Medicine study examining the effects of the vaccine on pregnant women, whom the director referred to as “pregnant people.”

“Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines did not include pregnant people, leaving us with limited data on the safety of vaccination in pregnant people and babies to date,” she said:

Through county — country-wide surveillance, using the CDC v-safe app and the v-safe Pregnancy Registry, as well as the Vaccine Adverse Event sys- — Reporting System, we were able to follow over 35,000 pregnant people who were vaccinated.

Pregnant people experienced the same side effects as others following vaccination. We were also able to follow, in detail, more than 3,900 pregnant women, and over 800 of whom have completed their pregnancies.

Importantly, no safety concerns were observed for people vaccinated in the third trimester or safety concerns for their babies.

“As such, CDC recommends that pregnant people receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” she said, the statement seemingly prompting the CDC’s Tuesday clarification.

“We know that this is a deeply personal decision, and I encourage people to talk to their doctors or primary care providers to determine what is best for them and for their baby,” she added.

The CDC issued new guidance for fully vaccinated people Tuesday, which continues to recommend fully vaccinated people to “take precautions in indoor public settings like wearing a well-fitted mask.”