New vaccine advice for pregnant women

The updated advice means pregnant women should be offered the Pfizer vaccine against coronavirus at any stage of the pregnancy.

The new recommendation was communicated on Wednesday by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

The experts said pregnant women face significantly higher risks of being severely affected by coronavirus if they were infected compared with other people.

That risk extends to the foetus as well.

The advice said global research had not found any significant dangers for pregnant women associated with mRNA vaccines, which are the modern science behind the Pfizer product.

The experts said getting a jab while pregnant could even extend immunity to the unborn child.

“There is also evidence of antibody in cord blood and breastmilk, which may offer protection to infants through passive immunity,” ATAGI and RANZCOG said in a joint statement.

RANZCOG, a non-profit organisation, had previously taken a cautious approach and recommended Australian women wait to get the jab.

That was because the low coronavirus case numbers in Australia justified waiting to see what the risks associated with the vaccine would be.

A set of guidelines published by RANZCOG on Wednesday said while the majority of pregnant women infected with COVID-19 experienced only mild or moderate flu-like symptoms, that cohort could potentially be at greater risk than other parts of the population.

“Pregnant women are potentially at increased risk of complications from any respiratory disease due to the physiological changes that occur in pregnancy,” the guidelines said.

“These include reduced lung function, increased oxygen consumption and changed immunity. In particular, pregnant women with comorbidities are at higher risk of hospital admission, ventilation and severe illness.”

People who have concerns about getting the jab have been encouraged to speak to their doctor.