LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — More pregnant women are filling intensive care units across the country.
Health officials are currently urging them to get vaccinated, not only to protect themselves but also their babies.
“They can get very sick. They have a higher chance of dying and not only that but getting the COVID-19 vaccine could also potentially protect their newborns,” said Dr. Helard Ballón-Hennings, an OBGYN in Las Vegas.
Ballón-Hennings said there’s growing concern regarding the high number of women who are pregnant and unvaccinated, despite growing evidence of just how much protection the vaccine gives.
“The vaccine is new and that’s what makes many pregnant women, and my patients, a little bit scared or hesitant to proceed,” Ballón-Hennings said.
Ballón-Hennings says despite how new the vaccine is, studies continue to support the consensus that vaccines are safe and effective.
“Granted, we do not have information long term, more than two years, about it but from the research done, we think that the vaccine produces the immune response high enough that the antibodies will be transferred over to the babies as well,” Ballón-Hennings said.
In September, the CDC urged expecting mothers to get vaccinated warning complications from COVID-19 can be deadly for both mother and baby. Still, two-thirds of pregnant women have not. The CDC also warns that expecting mothers who get covid are twice as likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit.
