Canadian doctors, backed by the Government of Canada, say COVID-19 vaccines are still “safe and effective” for pregnant women, though the US has recently reversed its policy. US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday revoked COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for pregnant women and children, a move he said was grounded in “common sense” and “good science.” .The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) maintains pregnant women should regularly receive the mRNA injection due to their increased risk of getting sick from COVID-19.Health Canada, in guidance last updated in February, admits “pregnant (and) breastfeeding individuals were excluded from COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.”Officials inferred the vaccine was safe for the demographic based on “analysis of data collected through international COVID-19 immunization registries,” which they say “to date have not revealed any maternal or neonatal safety signals.”“There is real-world evidence on the safety profile and effectiveness of mRNA vaccination with large numbers of individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding, but currently less evidence on the use of the protein subunit vaccine.”.Darine El-Chaar, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the Ottawa Hospital, insists they “are safe vaccines.”“These have been well documented to be effective in pregnancy, similar to non-pregnant people,” she told the Globe & Mail.“They actually have more benefits because of pregnant people’s vulnerable immune status.”
