CDC advises pregnant women to get COVID-19 vaccinations

Federal health officials issued an urgent health advisory Wednesday for women who are pregnant or trying to do so to get their COVID-19 shots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it strongly recommends getting vaccinated against COVID-19 either before or during pregnancy. The agency said the benefits of vaccination for both pregnant women and their fetuses or infants outweigh the known or potential risks.

Only about 31% of pregnant women have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Asians who are pregnant have the highest vaccination coverage at nearly 46%, while Hispanics trail at 25%. Blacks have the lowest vaccination rate among their pregnant population, at almost 16%.

As of Monday, there have been more than 125,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among pregnant women, including more than 22,000 hospitalizations and 161 deaths, according to CDC data. Twenty-two of these deaths occurred last month alone, the CDC said.

The agency added women who are pregnant and experiencing symptomatic COVID-19 are twice as likely to need intensive care and have a 70% greater chance of death.

They are also at a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, stillbirth and the ICU admission of a newborn infected with COVID-19.