During this pandemic, one of the most common questions from our pregnant patients has been “is it safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot while I’m pregnant?” Taking into consideration the different variants, how fast these vaccines were developed and widespread misinformation, the concern our patients have for their unborn babies is completely understandable. As health professionals, we do our best to educate our patients based on up-to-date scientific facts so they can make informed decisions.
The Delta variant has posed a great problem to the already overwhelmed health system as vaccines lose effectiveness with time and infection rates have skyrocketed in areas with low vaccination acceptance.
At the same time, the data on the safety of the COVID19 vaccine in pregnancy and postpartum remain reassuring. Vaccination is highly recommended as it protects us from infection, decreases the severity of infection, and helps protect against the severe sequela in case people get infected. In pregnancy, the COVID19 vaccine helps protect against complications to the pregnant woman, including hospitalization, ICU admission, and death; as well as to the pregnancy, including preterm labor, growth restriction, and stillbirth.
This protection was evaluated in a study done from June 15 to August 20. The objective was to evaluate the severity of COVID-19 in vaccinated vs unvaccinated pregnant people in the Ochsner Health System. The results revealed that the fully vaccinated group was less likely to suffer from severe or critical COVID-19 than the partially vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Vaccinated subjects rarely need additional medical therapy aside from supportive therapy and no vaccinated subjects needed supplemental oxygen or ICU admission. In the unvaccinated group, however, one case resulted in maternal death secondary to COVID-19 complications and six in stillbirths.
We encourage all our patients in general and especially our pregnant women to be vaccinated against the COVID19 virus and stay up to date on all booster recommendations.
El Camino Women’s Medical Group offers the latest Minimally Invasive Solutions for gynecologic problems. Drs. Amy Teng, Erika Balassiano, Pooja Gupta, and Christina Lam, all members of AAGL (American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopy) are highly trained and experienced in the field of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery. Dr. Erika Balassiano has also completed a Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellowship, under the supervision of world-renowned Dr. Camran Nezhat.
All of our physicians are El Camino Hospital doctors and operate and deliver at the Mountain View campus.
Serving Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Atherton, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Burlingame, Saratoga, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Campbell, San Jose, Santa Clara, Silicon Valley, Milpitas, Fremont, South Bay, East Bay, and North Bay.