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Unvaccinated Pregnant Women Are at Increased Risk for Severe COVID Symptoms and Newborn Deaths

pregnant woman receives a vaccine
pregnant woman receives a vaccine

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Pregnant women that are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are at an increased risk for severe symptoms and newborn death should they contract the virus during pregnancy, according to a new study published in the monthly journal Nature Medicine.

The peer-reviewed study, which assessed over 144,000 pregnancy records in Scotland dating back to March 2020, focused largely on data from December 2020 to October 2021, when vaccines were made accessible to the public.

The data showed that around 77% of the infected pregnant women were unvaccinated. Those without the vaccine were more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than pregnant women that were fully inoculated.

About 91% of COVID-19 hospitalizations and 98% of critical care admissions and "all baby deaths" in pregnant women were among those unvaccinated upon contracting the virus, according to the study.

Israel covid vaccine
Israel covid vaccine

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty

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"Our findings emphasize the need for continued efforts to increase vaccination uptake in pregnant women," said the authors of the study, published Thursday. They added, "Vaccine hesitancy in pregnancy thus requires addressing."

The authors also said addressing the problem "is imperative to protect the health of women and babies in the ongoing pandemic."

According to the study, nearly 26,000 COVID-19 vaccines were distributed to almost 18,500 pregnant women in Scotland between the start of the country's vaccination program on Dec. 8, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2021.

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But only around 32% of women ages 18 to 44 giving birth in October 2021 were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, per the study. Meanwhile, over 77% of all women in that age range had received both doses of the vaccine.

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The Scottish study comes as the omicron variant continues to consume the globe. Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that COVID-19 hospitalizations had reached an all-time high in the United States.

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