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'The ICUs are filling with pregnant women' | CDC, doctors urge pregnant people to get COVID-19 vaccination

Misinformation about the impacts the shots could have on fertility or an unborn baby have made many hesitant to get vaccinated.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte doctors are urging pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine after the CDC updated its guidance this week strongly recommending moms-to-be get the protection.

But many pregnant women are hesitant as misinformation spreads about infertility and the adverse effects of the vaccine.

The delta variant is causing the CDC and other experts to sound the alarm. More pregnant women are ending up in the hospital with severe cases of COVID-19 infection.

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Doctors say that research shows the dangers women and their babies face from COVID-19 are far worse than any possible adverse reaction to the vaccine.

As ICU beds fill, there's a concerning trend among pregnant women.

“It’s unprecedented the number of pregnant women that are on a ventilator right now. Many of my colleagues who have been practicing for many decades are shocked and horrified by how the ICUs are filling with pregnant women. And we're seeing that most of those women are not vaccinated,” Dr. Amelia Sutton, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist with Novant Health, said.

According to the latest CDC data, only 23% of pregnant people have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Doctors at Novant Health have been hearing concerns the vaccine can impact fertility.

“There’s been a lot of misconceptions about if the vaccine affects fertility and that has been debunked,” Sutton said. “That not biologically plausible.”

The CDC has changed its guidance throughout the pandemic but now is coming out stronger, and said new data shows the vaccines are safe for expecting parents and pregnancy can lead to a severe case of COVID-19.

“If a pregnant woman gets COVID-19 during her pregnancy, there’s a much greater chance she’ll end up in the ICU, there’s a much greater chance she’ll have an early baby that has to overcome obstacles and will be here longer,” Dr. Navin Bhojwani, system physician executive with Novant Health Women & Children’s Health Institute, said.

Both Sutton and Bhojwani said some of their patients have realized the benefits of the vaccines when it is already too late.

“Especially those with preterm deliveries that affected their baby. We have seen several cases of regret that they should’ve gotten vaccinated because their decision not only affected their own wellbeing but that of their baby,” Sutton said.

They said they haven’t seen any breakthrough cases in pregnant women at Novant Health yet.

Research shows antibodies from the vaccine are passed on to the baby.

Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.


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