Pregnant women told they risk premature birth if they don’t get Covid booster

PREGNANT women have been warned they risk having a premature birth if they don't get their booster jab.

The latest data has shown Covid vaccines are safe for mums-to-be and their babies.

But JCVI’s Professor Jeremy Brown said this morning: "If you catch Covid and you're unvaccinated and pregnant, especially in the last trimester, there's a 20 per cent risk of a premature birth."

Data from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System shows 96.3 per cent of pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid-19 symptoms between May and October 2021 were unvaccinated.

A third of which (33 per cent) needed help breathing, and around 1 in 5 women hospitalised with the virus saw their babies delivered preterm and rushed to the neonatal unit.

A string of hugely positive studies show Omicron is milder than other strains in vaccinated Brits, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.

The Sun's Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits' arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.

DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser and Honorary Consultant Obstetrician Professor Lucy Chappell said: "Getting a Covid -19 vaccine is one of the most important things a pregnant woman can do this year to keep herself and her baby as safe from this virus as possible.

“We have extensive evidence now to show that the vaccines are safe and that the risks posed by Covid-19 are far greater.  

“If you haven’t had your Covid-19 vaccine, I would urge you to speak to your clinician or midwife if you have any questions or concerns, and book in your vaccine as soon as you can.”

The Covid-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women and have no impact on fertility.

Since April 2021, around 84,000 pregnant women have received one dose and over 80,000 have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.  

Dr Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “We welcome this national campaign as an important way of amplifying the very clear message to pregnant women that vaccination provides the best protection for both them and their babies from Covid-19.

"We urge all pregnant women to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and to get boosted three months after the second dose.

“We are very concerned that many pregnant women have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19 and we hope this campaign will help reassure them that vaccination is safe and effective.

"Pregnant women are more vulnerable of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19 infection, and this can lead to an increased risk of giving birth prematurely, and stillbirth.”