The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday put out an ''urgent'' advisory for women who are pregnant, or want to become pregnant, to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
"Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time — and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families,'' CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement about the new advisory.
''I strongly encourage those who are pregnant or considering pregnancy to talk with their healthcare provider about the protective benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their babies and themselves safe.''
The agency said the benefits of getting one of the three available vaccines, Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson, either before or during pregnancy, ''outweigh the known or potential risks.''
The agency said that as of Sept. 27, more than 125,000 COVID cases have been lab-verified in pregnant women, including 22,000 hospitalizations and 161 deaths.
It also said that August had the highest single-month number of virus-related deaths in pregnant women, and that 97% of people in the hospital for either the virus or for labor while being positive for COVID were unvaccinated.
''In addition to the risks of severe illness and death for pregnant and recently pregnant people, there is an increased risk for adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, including preterm birth and admission of their neonate(s) to an intensive care unit (ICU),'' the CDC advisory said. ''Other adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth, have been reported.''
The CDC estimated that just 31% of pregnant women were fully vaccinated, despite the risks associated with being pregnant while infected with the virus.
Of that number, the agency said percentages vary with ethnicity and race, with 45.7% of those vaccinated being Asian, 25% Hispanic or Latino, and just 15.6% Black.
In cases of symptomatic pregnant women, the CDC said there is a twofold chance of admission to the hospital, and a 70% increase in the risk of death.
The risk of spreading the virus from the mother to the child, however, is rare, the agency said.
Vaccination rates among pregnant women are below the rates of other adults, who have a rate of 55% fully vaccinated and 64.5% with at least one dose.
''Healthcare providers should communicate the risks of COVID-19, the benefits of vaccination, and information on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy,'' the advisory said.
''Healthcare providers should strongly recommend that people who are pregnant, recently pregnant (including those who are lactating), who are trying to become pregnant now, or who might become pregnant in the future receive one of the authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible,'' it said.
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