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Category: Vaccination

Pregnant Women and Their Babies Benefit from COVID-19 Vaccines

Posted on by dekiss4

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the hesitancy of pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine seemed especially understandable. Pregnancy is a time of questions, and concern for the health and well-being of the baby is paramount. And, initial COVID-19 vaccine trials excluded pregnant women, because evidence-backed guidance lagged. At that point, questions outnumbered answers.

But safety data grew as time passed, because many women who did enroll in the vaccine trials were pregnant, though they didn’t know it at the time. “So we do have original data from those women as well as studies that are ongoing specifically in pregnancy,” said Eva Pressman, M.D., chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “We have registries of more than 140,000 women who received the vaccine during pregnancy and reported information about their outcomes,” Pressman said in a September 2021 interview.

Pregnant women are considered a high risk group for severe COVID-19 illness. As experience with the vaccine increases, new data are available and the current advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, is that vaccination does not increase the chance of miscarriage. Though the vaccines are relatively new, the science – and numbers – support their safety.

“We now have information from hundreds of thousands of pregnancies that the COVID vaccine does not increase the risk of birth defects or pregnancy complications like preeclampsia or pre-term labor. On the contrary, COVID infection has been associated with increased risk of pre-term labor, preeclampsia and miscarriage. We know that the vaccine is much safer in pregnancy than the disease itself,” Pressman, a high-risk pregnancy expert, said.

Realization of the dangers of coronavirus infection during pregnancy has evolved, and in August, the CDC officially recommended that all pregnant persons, those thinking about becoming pregnant and those breastfeeding get vaccinated against COVID-19. Other groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recommended the vaccination weeks earlier. The World Health Organization (WHO) states they have “no reason to believe there are specific risks that outweigh the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women.”

Only about 31% of pregnant women ages 18 to 49 had been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of late September, according to CDC. From January 2020 to late September 2021, CDC reported over 125,000 cases of COVID-19 in pregnant women, resulting in more than 22,000 hospitalizations and 161 deaths. The delta variant is reported to result in even more severe illness in pregnant patients. As safety data increase and the numbers of vaccine requirements go up, practitioners and health organizations believe it is likely the rate of those vaccinated during pregnancy will also increase.

The decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine should be a shared decision among a woman, her care partner(s) and medical provider(s). The conversations can be life-saving.

For more information from CDC on COVID-10 vaccination while pregnant or breastfeeding, visit bit.ly/covid19pregnant

Health means…pregnant women and their babies benefit from COVID-19 vaccines.

Contributor: Sandy Procter

Sources

American Public Health Association. Pregnant women urged to get COVID-19 shots. In the Nation’s Health, Nov/Dec 2021, p. 1. Available online at www.thenationshealth.org.

Boynton, Emily. University of Rochester Medical Center. September 9, 2021. Is the COVID vaccine safe for pregnant people? What about when you are breastfeeding? Accessed online at urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/is-the-covid-vaccine-safe-for pregnant-people retrieved on November 3, 2021.

Health Means — Perspective

Posted on by dekiss4

Many of us would probably agree that the development and administration of the COVID-19 vaccines have led to a much needed “re-awakening” across the nation.  Coast-to-coast, people completing their COVID-19 vaccinations are re-energized, and re-connecting.  A large number are getting back to their former lives; breathing a sigh of relief and putting this phase of their lived experience far behind them. Many think, “Good riddance!”  For these folks, it’s likely that their perspective has been that the pandemic constrained their lives and the sooner it’s over the better.  Their facemasks are now stuffed in the glovebox of their car to gather dust.

However, for a majority, the vaccinations, though welcome, are a benchmark for a life that will never be the same.  The struggle, loss, and uncertainty associated with the coronavirus is etched in their memories and has become part of their identities. It has not only impacted family and friends, but it has changed the overall health of the nation with many researchers contending that overall life expectancy has been reduced by a year as a result. People of color and those lacking access to health care are the hardest hit. Viewing the pandemic through different perspectives was the focus of a study conducted by a team from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In recently published articles, the study revealed how personal views and perspectives about the pandemic affected mask wearing and other health behaviors in rural areas. Koon, et. al (2021) identified four frames or perspectives that people used to make sense of the coronavirus: concern, crisis, constraint and conspiracy.  Each perspective resulted in different behaviors and choices that could explain why some have been hesitant to get vaccinated. The researchers are now using their results to design targeted outreach efforts that will frame vaccination communication and other necessary responses to the pandemic.

In the meantime, the “long-haulers”, those 10%-30% of people who continue to have prolonged symptoms months after contracting the coronavirus, are likely to have a different perspective. They continue to live with symptoms that the National Institutes of Health will spend more than $1.1 billion over four years to study with the hope of discovering some answers.  Recently, some long-haulers have reported having some relief of symptoms after having gotten COVID-19 vaccinations (The Washington Post; March 16, 2021). Still, there is just not enough known about the virus and its long-term impacts on individuals or on populations.  It’s the long-haulers who might teach us the most about a perspective of compassion as the pandemic runs its course.  Maybe we can all benefit from compassion for those who continue to acquire the disease, those who cope with its impacts, and for all who have lived through it.

Health means…increasing the capacity of the primary care and behavioral health workforce to deliver high quality, timely, and accessible patient-centered care.

 Contributor: Elaine Johannes (ejohanne@ksu.edu)

Health Means – TRUST

Posted on by dekiss4

During the past several weeks, I’ve been able to volunteer at some of Riley County’s COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics. What a great experience! Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@bernardhermant?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Bernard Hermant</a> on <a href="/s/photos/trust?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a> During these community events I’ve learned about trust. So, I think that Health Means – TRUST.

While serving as a volunteer during coronavirus testing drives I saw examples of trust – one after another.  I saw health professionals put their trust in the personal protective equipment (PPE) they used to protect themselves while nasal-swabbing over 300 first responders and health providers.  I admired the trust that the fire fighters and police officers had for the gentle care of health department nurses when they collected each important sample.  I also saw the trust that the county’s elected officials had for the local journalists when they reported on the successes of the testing events held in smaller towns in the rural parts of the county.

Then, when the vaccine became available the trust that older adults, their care providers and health- compromised citizens put in the efficacy of the vaccine was inspiring. While volunteering in the post-vaccination waiting area, I heard several who had received their vaccination admit that they decided to be vaccinated because of the trust they put in their family, friends, and doctors who trusted the science behind the vaccine. Following the encouragement of those they knew and respected, the recipients learned about the science that resulted in the trusted vaccine.

That trust is well-deserved.  According to a March 18 presentation by Dr. Barney Graham, deputy director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, and a Kansan who has been called the “father of the COVID-19 vaccine,” the science was already underway to produce the vaccine before the need arrived.  For nearly seven years, studies of 26 different viruses had been in progress, and with the infusion of much-needed funding for additional studies, equipment and personnel the pace of vaccine development was quickened.  Trust in the laboratory teams, in the innovative public-private partnerships that “cut red-tape and not corners,” and in the scientific process resulted in the relief and tears of gratitude I witnessed while serving at the vaccination clinics.  Dr. Graham provided insights into the development of the vaccine and explained why some may initially be hesitant to have a vaccination when it becomes available to them. His remarks answered questions and built trust throughout the state, and are available at: https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/covid-19-resources/covid-19-vaccine-webinar.html

It was Booker T. Washington who said “Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him. “ I’ll offer this slight modification that there are few things that can be more helpful than to have trust in each other.

Every year in the United States, many people get diseases that vaccines can prevent. Health means…preventing infectious diseases by increasing vaccination rates.

Contributor: Elaine Johannes (ejohanne@ksu.edu)

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