covid -19是啥，COVID-19介绍

许多怀孕的人特别清楚他们在身体里放了什么，这就引出了一个重要的问题：在大流行期间，我应该接种新冠肺炎疫苗吗？根据美国疾病控制和预防中心(疾控中心)的说法，答案是响亮的"是"。

2021年8月，该组织更新了指导意见，称每个12岁及以上的人都应该接种疫苗——包括怀孕、哺乳、现在试图怀孕或未来可能怀孕的人疾控中心此前表示，接种疫苗是怀孕期间的个人选择。

9月29日，疾控中心在健康咨询中再次强调孕期接种疫苗的重要性。该机构表示，截至9月27日，已有超过12.5万例新冠肺炎病例在孕妇中报告，其中包括2.2万例住院和161例死亡。仅2021年8月就有22人死亡。

研究一再表明，与育龄非孕妇相比，孕妇患严重疾病和死于新冠肺炎的风险更高。对几项研究的一项审查表明，孕妇被送入重症监护室的可能性增加了62%,需要使用呼吸机的可能性增加了88%。疾控中心健康顾问称，准父母死于新冠肺炎的风险增加了70%。

圣路易斯华盛顿大学医学院妇产科助理教授、家长顾问、医学博士玛尔塔佩雷斯(玛尔塔佩雷斯)说，这很可能是怀孕时心血管和呼吸系统发生变化的结果，这使孕妇患严重疾病的风险更高。

RELATED: 家长需要知道的关于冠状病毒疫苗的一切同样，越来越多的证据表明，疫苗在怀孕期间是安全有效的，而且它们与流产风险的增加没有关联。另一方面，研究将新冠肺炎感染与早产和其他并发症联系起来。不良妊娠和新生儿结局的风险增加，包括早产和新生儿进入重症监护室O .

ther adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth, have been reported," says the CDC.

Despite this information, only 31 percent of pregnant people were fully vaccinated "before or during their pregnancy" as of September 18, says the CDC. There are also vaccination coverage disparities based on race and ethnicity; for example, non-Hispanic Black pregnant people have a vaccine rate of only 15.6 percent.

Given the evolving information around the vaccines and virus (including the highly contagious Delta variant), it's natural that expectant folks still have questions. Parents asked health experts to share the most up-to-date information on how the vaccine might affect those who are pregnant or who intend to be soon.

Pregnant woman on ultrasound Credit: Getty Images

Can Pregnant People Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

Yes, pregnant people can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, three options (Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson) have been granted authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and anyone 12 and older is eligible to get vaccinated. All available vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death—even against the Delta variant that's currently devastating the country.

Besides the CDC, several other medical organizations strongly support COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Nurse-Midwives, and more. "As the leading organizations representing experts in maternal care and public health professionals that advocate and educate about vaccination, we strongly urge all pregnant individuals—along with recently pregnant, planning to become pregnant, lactating and other eligible individuals—to be vaccinated against COVID-19," according to a joint statement from these organizations.

• RELATED: Yes, You Should Get the COVID Vaccine Even If You're Trying to Get Pregnant, Here's Why

Is the Vaccine Safe for Pregnant People and Babies?

Research is currently being conducted on pregnant and lactating individuals because they weren't originally included in any clinical trials. "Usually trials with [pregnant women] start later, after deemed safe in other groups," explains Purvi Parikh, M.D., an allergist and immunologist with the Allergy and Asthma Network and co-investigator on the vaccine trials.

That said, "we have very little concern that the COVID-19 vaccines could harm a pregnant person or their developing fetus," says Geeta Swamy, M.D., a member of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Immunization, Infectious Disease, and Public Health Preparedness Expert Work Group. Doctors indicate that this is true regardless of trimester.

After injection, the vaccine doesn't move much beyond the muscle cells and immune cells in lymph nodes, and it doesn't alter DNA, so it cannot cause genetic changes. In addition, "the vaccine doesn't contain live virus, so there's no risk of infecting the mom or baby with COVID," says Judette Louis, M.D., department chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

• RELATED: What Vaccines Do You Need Before and During Pregnancy?

There's also increasing evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines for expecting parents. Take a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which researched 35,000 pregnant people who got vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna. It found no problems in pregnant people—even those in the third trimester. Participants only experienced typical COVID-19 vaccine side effects, such as pain at the injection site, headache, chills, and fever. What's more, no neonatal deaths were reported in the study, and adverse reactions (like preterm birth and small size) seemed unrelated to the vaccine.

The CDC also cites research from it's v-safe COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry. According to the organization, v-safe is "a new smartphone-based, after-vaccination health checker for people who receive COVID-19 vaccines." Data reported from 2,456 pregnant people— published on August 9—concluded that the mRNA vaccines aren't associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.

Can Newborns Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

As of now, the vaccines are approved only for people 5 and older. While pediatric trials are currently underway, vaccines for babies will probably be the last to be approved. Thankfully, COVID-19 infections in newborns are very uncommon, and severe illness appears to be rare.

The best way to protect your newborn against COVID-19 is getting vaccinated. The CDC says vaccination allows your body to build antibodies to the coronavirus—and these antibodies have been found in umbilical cord blood. "This means COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy might help protect babies against COVID-19," according to the organization. "More data are needed to determine how these antibodies, similar to those produced with other vaccines, may provide protection to the baby."

Along those lines, "some types of antibodies cross into breast milk," says Dr. Perez, who got her own COVID-19 vaccine two weeks postpartum while nursing.

• RELATED: The COVID Vaccine and Breastfeeding: What Nursing Moms Need to Know

I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine—Now What?

No vaccine has an efficacy of 100 percent, and pregnant people should try limiting exposure as much as possible. "Make sure you are in the best health possible so that if you do get sick, your body and immune system is able to fight it," says Dr. Parikh. "This includes appropriate doctors visits, vitamins, getting other vaccines like the flu shot, and proper sleep and nutrition."

Another COVID-19 prevention method is creating a "bubble of protection" around expectant parents, suggests Lorene Temming, M.D., Medical Director of Labor and Delivery, maternal-fetal medicine specialist, and Director of the Medical Student Clerkship program at Atrium Health. This means that partners, family members, and other close contacts should be vaccinated, so if they're ever exposed to the coronavirus, they have a smaller chance of transmitting it to the expectant parent. 

• RELATED: 7 Facts the FDA Wants Parents to Know About COVID Vaccines for Kids

The Bottom Line

Several organizations—including CDC and ACOG—strongly recommend that pregnant people get vaccinated. Talk to your health care provider about any questions or uncertainties.

• By Holly Pevzner and Nicole Harris