WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday issued its strongest guidance to date urging pregnant women to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The guidance comes as more than a quarter-million cases of coronavirus in pregnant women have been reported.
The CDC said that for pregnant women getting a vaccine is critical. It’s the strongest guidance to date from the agency on the subject and it comes of vaccine remains a flashpoint amid new mandates and mounting misinformation.
The CDC’s new data shows that symptomatic pregnant women have more than a two-fold increased risk of ICU admission and a 70% higher risk of death than sick COVID patients who aren’t pregnant.
According to the CDC, 161 pregnant women have died of COVID with 22 deaths in August alone.
The agency also warned COVID can increase the risk of issues surrounding birth, including pre-term birth, stillbirth, and admission of infants to the ICU.
Right now, only about 1 in 3 pregnant women are vaccinated.
This all comes as more companies are trying to enforce vaccine mandates. United Airlines announced that it’s firing nearly 600 employees for refusing to get the shot.
In New York, the governor says more than 92% of healthcare workers have now gotten at least one shot. It’s proof, she argues, that the vaccine mandate is working.
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