Is it safe for pregnant women to get the COVID vaccine?

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Despite recent disagreements at the federal level, the nation’s health governing agencies and top local physicians continue to urge vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19) for pregnant women.

Not doing so puts maternal health and the health of the unborn child at risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reversed an earlier decision by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Staten Island obstetricians and gynecologists from both major hospitals stress the vaccine’s effectiveness at protecting women and their unborn children.

Given fluctuations in their immune system, pregnant women would be at risk of developing more serious health consequences from a COVID infection, such as pneumonia, compared to that risk if not pregnant, said Dr. Marino Poliseno, program director and vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton. ”Vaccination in turn would mitigate this risk,’’ Poliseno said.

The CDC continues to recommend the vaccine for all people who’ve discussed its benefits with health-care providers.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also strongly recommends vaccination for mothers, even postpartum and during lactation, as does the World Health Organization, NYC Health Department and the New York State Department of Health.

Kennedy’s initial May 2025 announcement to remove the COVID-19 vaccine recommendation was unprecedented for bypassing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The newest CDC guidance for adults means that pharmacies can vaccinate pregnant women, and most insurance companies must cover it at no cost. Medicaid and Medicare also cover COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

The vaccine protects mother and unborn child, as well, federal medical agencies say.

“Studies including hundreds of thousands of people around the world show that COVID-19 vaccination before and during pregnancy is safe, effective, and beneficial to both the pregnant woman and the baby,” the CDC explains in its most recent guidance. ”The benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.”

Another one of Staten Island’s top experts in obstetrics and gynecology encouraged vaccination in order to protect the mother and soon-to-be born child.

“While COVID-19’s overall impact has evolved, it remains a serious infection that can lead to significant complications during pregnancy,’’ said Adi Davidov, associate chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. “Vaccination substantially reduces the risk of infection and severe outcomes for both the mother and the baby.”

Poliseno also pointed to the benefits of a COVID vaccine in pregnancy for health of the child.

“Maintaining their health both during and after pregnancy helps maintain their fetus’ and subsequent newborn’s health by not exposing them to the disease itself or to a more muted and shortened disease course exposure,’’ Poliseno said.

The CDC lists hospitalization, preterm birth or stillbirth as potential complications for pregnant women who become infected with COVID-19.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently available to healthy adults contain live virus, the CDC stated.

And since infants under 6 months of age cannot receive the vaccine, a protected mother greatly reduces chances that she will pass the virus along to her newborn.

Recent studies have also found that mothers pass the immunity gained from vaccination onto their newborn children.

The CDC recommends vaccination during any trimester of pregnancy, and does not exclude women planning pregnancy or breastfeeding. It also assures that COVID-19 vaccines are not associated with fertility problems in women or men.

“If you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, compared to those who are not pregnant,’’ the CDC online guidance advises. ”Additionally, if you have COVID-19 during pregnancy, you are at increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and your baby from serious illness from COVID-19.”

Yet, despite this guidance, many women are hesitant to receive the vaccine, the local physicians said.

“Many patients express concerns regarding vaccine safety, often influenced by the volume of information and misinformation circulating in public discourse,’’ Davidov said.

Poliseno agreed, adding that initial vaccines, even boosters, are looked about warily by many.

But the focus should remain on the fact that vaccines significantly lower the risk of severe COVID-19 disease and serious complications for mother and newborn, Davidov stressed.

And a recent study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, showed that vaccinated mothers provide their babies with strong protection against symptomatic COVID-19 infection for at least six months after birth, protecting them while their immune system is still developing.