We keep asking ourselves, when will this pandemic be over?
We know that SARS-CoV-2 is here to stay.
It's endemic, but endemic does not mean harmless.
It does not mean that SARS-CoV-2 is going to go away.
For epidemiologists, endemic means that rates are static, not rising, not falling.
Colds are endemic, but so are malaria and polio.
In fact, smallpox was endemic before it was eradicated by vaccines.
The vaccines that we routinely get are all against
endemic diseases that could have severe complications.
We must all make decisions to get vaccines to protect us from severe illness
and hospitalization from a variety of diseases.
This is particularly true with pregnant people who are more vulnerable to COVID-19
We have an expert with us to speak just on that topic.
My name is Dr. Steven Morris.
I'm an Obstetrician-Gynecologist here at Health Sciences North.
Pregnant people have an increased risk to severe COVID due
to physiological and immunological changes that occur during pregnancy.
Study after study has shown that vaccines
are effective against severe illness and hospitalization.
Isn't that right, Dr. Morris?
So, you know, I think yeah, exactly.
Another way of saying it is just that the risk of getting the vaccine
is extremely low compared to,
you know, getting the virus, particularly if you have co-morbidities
like diabetes and in particular obesity. You know, you could be
high risk for, you know, a bad outcome.
And fortunately,
vaccinated or not, the likelihood of death is still fairly low.
And I think a lot of people take comfort in that.
But, you know, when it happens to you it's a problem, right?
And it affects obviously the patient and their family members, their children.
You know, we don't want to see anybody lose their life
over this. But, you know,
severe illness and death seem to be, for the most part, preventable.
Making the decision to get vaccinated is often challenging.
Pregnancy involves self-regulation and body monitoring.
There's often a lot of pressure to ensure optimal fetal development.
Vaccines will protect the pregnant person and the developing baby.
From complications associated with a COVID-19 infection.
What are some of the challenges
that pregnant people have in making the decision to get vaccinated?
Any time a woman is pregnant,
they want to make sure that anything they're putting in their bodies
will not effect or harm their their growing fetus.
And I think that certainly is an understandable
concern that
would resonate with with any pregnant lady.
You know, and I think there's been a lot of misinformation
on social media that has perpetuated some myths.
It's good to remember that all vaccines currently approved in Canada
had to undergo significant scrutiny before given the green light.
Health Canada examines the results from the clinical trials.
They even have their own dedicated researchers to verify the data.
Growing evidence consistently indicates that mRNA vaccines
do not cause pregnancy complications or adversely affect lactation.
There's no evidence that vaccines cause fertility issues, and pregnant
people experiences side effects at the same rate as the general public.
There are, however, increased risk to the pregnant individual
and the developing baby associated with a COVID-19 infection.
Maybe Dr.
Morris can speak to the side effects
or lack thereof associated with vaccination and pregnant individuals.
Well, the recent data is on, I think, a quarter of a million women,
and it doesn't seem to show any harm in any trimester or with breastfeeding.
In fact,
they're seeing that some of the antibodies will cross and that it's actually
protecting the baby.
So there may be some benefit.
Now that we know that pregnant
people are especially at risk of these severe effects of SARS-CoV-2
and that vaccines provide great protection against disease.
I still have a couple of questions for Dr. Morris.
Like at what stage of pregnancy should pregnant people be vaccinated?
I don't really know the answer to that.
And I don't know if there's strong data to say for sure you should get it at
one time
or another, or one trimester versus another.
But, you know, like I said, that seems to be
getting it in the mid second trimester, beyond
21 weeks seems to be an optimal time.
You know, I think any time is good, given that we know
it seems to be very safe and effective in all trimesters of pregnancy.
Lastly, Dr.
Morris, what if someone is pregnant and has questions about vaccines?
Where should they go for information?
So, you know, if you're going to do it online,
do you want to use reputable sites. Certainly,
you know, Ontario.ca with respect
to the COVID vaccines and pregnancy is good.
The CDC guideline site is a good resource.
And then obviously just
you know, I know some people have trouble getting into their
physicians in a timely fashion because of the pandemic.
But if you're pregnant, obviously, then discuss it with your
either your midwife, family doctor or obstetrician.
We're happy to have discussions on it at any time.
Vaccination while pregnant is safe and effective.
Thank you so much to Dr.
Morris and thank you for watching.
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