Pregnancy can be confusing and overwhelming at the best of times, and that’s before you throw in a global pandemic, a national vaccine roll out and a frantic end of year scramble for the booster jab.
However, after months of campaigning pregnant women have finally been made a priority group for vaccination, following research that shows they are more vulnerable to complications from Covid. Some campaign groups think the move has come too late however - and in reality may not change much for pregnant women.
On December 15, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the vaccines watchdog, said that pregnant women would be moved into priority group 6, alongside adults under 65 with long-term health conditions.
In response to the announcement, Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, says: 'It’s too little too late. We have known for over a year that pregnant women are more vulnerable and we have repeatedly called on the Government to prioritise this group of women. Had they done this from the outset then many more pregnant women would be vaccinated. Instead, months later, they shove them in priority group 6 without any practical plan as to how they will access the jab or the booster.
'We are awash with stories of heavily pregnant women standing in long queues for hours to get their vaccine, something that can cause excruciating pain, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy. Then, when they finally sit down for their jab, they are often handed a leaflet which says they should get sign off from their GP first. One woman told us she had to sign a waiver which stated that the vaccinator takes no responsibility if the vaccine harms her baby. Indeed, our own research found that 42% of pregnant women say a health professional made them question the safety of the vaccine. No wonder vaccine rates are so low amongst this group.
'There is no use in the Government shouting at pregnant women that they must get vaccinated, without seriously considering how they will access it; and without a Government led communications campaign which explains how we know the vaccine is safe for pregnant women and their baby.'
A recent survey of 4,000 pregnant women from Pregnant Then Screwed found worrying levels of misinformation about the vaccine.
This week the charity, along with The Royal College of Midwives, Birthrights, the Women’s Budget Group, Maternity Action and the Fawcett Society, wrote to the Health Secretary Sajid Javid to warn of more tragedies should the Government not take immediate action to prioritise pregnant women.
Studies show only 22% of women who gave birth in August 2021 were vaccinated, far below the national average of 89%. The new survey of 4,000 pregnant women found that 90% of those tried to get a booster jab before 11th December 2021 were unable to.
Low rates of vaccination among pregnant women might be attributed to confusing messaging, according to the survey that found 31% of pregnant women said that when they were in a vaccine centre, a health professional made them question the safety of the vaccine, with 42% of women saying a health professional has made them question the safety of the vaccine in pregnancy. However, research has shown that pregnant women are more likely to end up in ICU if they do get covid, whilst their baby is twice as likely to be stillborn.
‘Thousands of pregnant women have made every effort to protect themselves against Covid, knowing they are more likely to become seriously unwell should they become infected, but they have encountered unnecessary barriers,' says Brearley.