US CDC Urgently Recommends COVID-19 Vaccination as Deaths Surge Among Unvaccinated Pregnant Women

First Official CDC Recommendation... 22 Deaths in August
"97% of Pregnant Women Who Died from COVID-19 Were Unvaccinated"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an urgent recommendation that pregnant women and women who have recently given birth get vaccinated, citing a sharp increase in deaths primarily among unvaccinated pregnant women against COVID-19.

On the 29th (local time), the CDC released an official urgent recommendation stating, "All women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, are trying or planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding should get vaccinated." Although the CDC previously recommended vaccination for pregnant women last month in a statement signed by CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, this is the first time the CDC has officially issued a vaccination recommendation specifically for pregnant women.

According to CDC data, as of the 27th, approximately 125,000 pregnant women in the United States have been infected with COVID-19, with about 22,000 hospitalized and 161 deaths. Especially last month, when the fourth wave intensified due to the spread of the Delta variant, 22 pregnant women died. The CDC reported that 97% of the pregnant women who died were unvaccinated.

The CDC strongly warned, "If infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy, it can lead to premature birth or the newborn being born infected, requiring immediate admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)." They also noted that there have been reported cases of stillbirth following infection during pregnancy.

However, the vaccination rate among pregnant women in the U.S. remains very low. According to CNN, CDC data shows that only 31% of pregnant women in the U.S. have received the COVID-19 vaccine, with the rate among Black pregnant women being only 15.6%. CNN reported that this is due to distrust of the vaccine and concerns about side effects.

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