The CDC now recommends that all pregnant women should receive a coronavirus vaccine following studies showing “no safety concerns” with the shot, The Washington Post reported Friday.
The CDC had previously deferred on the question of receiving a vaccination while pregnant, recommending that women consult with their doctors on the issue rather than issuing sweeping guidance. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky cited a study Friday showing that 35,000 women who received the vaccine in their third trimester had no adverse effects.
“We know that this is a deeply personal decision,” she added, “and I encourage people to talk to their doctors and their primary care providers to determine what is best for them and for their baby.”
A nurse administers a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to a member of the public at a vaccination centre set up in the Parc Chanot exhibition centre in Marseille, southeastern France, on April 19, 2021. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden’s administration has announced that every U.S. adult over the age of 16 is now eligible to receive a vaccination. While the CDC put a pause on the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine due to reports of extremely rare blood clots, Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said the nation still has “plenty” of supply to vaccinate everyone.
The CDC is meeting Friday to determine whether the J&J vaccine is safe to return to the delivery pool. (RELATED: I Bought The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine ‘Panic Porn’: I’m Sending It Back)
The J&J vaccine saw six reports of blood clots in 6.85 million administered doses. The European Union drug regulator never went so far as to pause the vaccine, arguing that the benefits outweigh the extremely rare risks.
A stockpile of roughly nine million J&J vaccine doses remains in limbo until the CDC completes its vote.