Pregnant women in South London encouraged to get Covid vaccine by the NHS

The NHS is encouraging more pregnant women in South London to get their Covid-19 vaccine, as new national data shows nearly 52,000 pregnant women in England have received at least one dose.

The Covid-19 vaccines are one of the best defences against infection, preventing at least 11.7 million infections in England alone.

The Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are recommended for women in the UK, as they have been used widely in other countries to protect pregnant women and safety issues have not been seen.

Midwife Memuna Sowe, who runs the Covid-19 vaccination centre at Croydon Hospital, said: “It is so encouraging that thousands of mums to be have received a Covid-19 vaccine and I would encourage anyone who is yet to take up the offer to come forward – the vaccines save lives, and we are confident that they can be safely offered to pregnant women.

“It is completely understandable that some women may have questions and concerns about taking the vaccine, but what I would say to them is don’t hesitate, talk to your midwife about your options or pop into one of our community vaccine centres for a chat with the matron.

“Get the information you need to make an informed decision for you and your child.”

New mums, women who are planning pregnancy or who are breastfeeding can be vaccinated with any vaccine.

Though uncommon, severe illness due to Covid-19 is more likely in later pregnancy.

Pregnant women who do get symptomatic Covid-19 infection are two to three times more likely to give birth to their baby prematurely.

The data, from Public Health England, shows these were all women aged under 50 years of age, who reported that they were pregnant or could be pregnant at the time of receiving the vaccine.

Of these, 20,648 women have received their second dose.

On April 16, 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised that pregnant women should be offered the Covid vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.

Some pregnant women will have been vaccinated before this date if they are clinically vulnerable or are a healthcare worker, therefore these figures are likely to be much higher.