COVID-19 Vaccine:

What we know so far

The COVID 19 vaccination has been approved for use and distribution has begun.
There will be a tiered vaccination schedule, offering first to those at high risk of exposure. If you are pregnant and have been offered or expect to be offered the vaccine we have prepared these points for your reference and consideration.

• The vaccines are safe. The Pfizer vaccine, which received approval from the FDA last week, and the Moderna vaccine, which is expected to receive FDA approval very soon, have been shown to be very safe in the clinical trials. Our doctors feel very comfortable getting the vaccines themselves, and giving it to the patients that qualify. The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for ages 16 years and older.
• The vaccines are effective. Both vaccines provide adequate protection (in the 95% effective range) after the two dose regimen. This level of immunity is on par with the best childhood immunizations.
• Pregnant women are considered a high risk population for COVID 19. Though relative absolute risk of severe COVID 19 is low, pregnant women are more likely than non pregnant people to experience severe and life threatening illness. This is increased if you have any other health problems such as diabetes, obesity, or respiratory problems. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html )
• To date COVID 19 has disproportionately affected those of African American and Hispanic descent.
• Fetal effects from maternal infection with COVID 19 are incompletely understood.
• COVID 19 vaccination is not a live virus and has no enhancement adjuvant. It does not enter human DNA or have the ability to alter your DNA. This scientific understanding of the vaccination leads to an understanding that there should be no additional vaccination related risk to pregnant and lactating women. Although not initially included in development trials, ongoing trials will include pregnant and lactating women.
• It is expected that you may experience local site discomfort after receiving the vaccination as well as muscle aches headaches and fever. This is a normal immune response. It is recommended to use acetaminophen for relief, particularly for fever as fever is known to have potential adverse effects on pregnancy.
• Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine recommend at risk pregnant women be offered COVID 19 vaccination.  
• For complete reading of the statements https://www.acog.org/Clinical/Clinical%20Guidance/Practice%20Advisory/Articles/2020/12/Vaccinating%20Pregnant%20and%20Lactating%20Patients%20Against%20COVID%2019
  https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.smfm.org/media/2591/SMFM_Vaccine_Statement_12-1-20_(final).pdf)
• In Illinois, the 50 counties with the highest death rates per capita will get the vaccine first. In our area, the only counties on that list are Kane and DuPage. In our area, Lake County is the only county that is actively registering people now to distribute the vaccine when it is available, which you can do here. For the other counties in our area, visit their websites for the latest information: Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, and Will. The Illinois Department of Public Health has the latest vaccine information here.
• Even after vaccination, everyone must continue with the mitigation efforts that prevent spread: wearing masks, washing hands, watching your distance, limiting gatherings, etc.

We will keep you informed when we know more details. We hope to have some information about when we will be getting the vaccine soon. Please watch our website, Facebook page, Instagram account, and patient portal.