The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands has encouraged pregnant women, breastfeeding or those who wish to become pregnant to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with messenger RNA vaccines, to "protect themselves and their babies from contracting the disease with a serious clinical picture."
"Evidence has shown that pregnant women are more at risk of suffering from severe Covid-19, which means a greater probability of requiring admission to the ICU with mechanical ventilation," says the Ministry of Health, which tries to dispel the reluctance of some women who are in this situation.
In addition, it recalls that "pregnant women who are not vaccinated may be more at risk of suffering adverse outcomes related to pregnancy, such as having a preterm birth, which is one that occurs prematurely."
Similarly, it emphasizes that "according to a study developed at the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, in Tenerife, the breast milk of lactating mothers vaccinated against Covid-19 has antibodies generated by the vaccine that are transferred to the baby, giving it protection".
Therefore, the Public Health Commission of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System agreed to recommend vaccination against the coronavirus to pregnant women. "Ideally, pregnant women should arrive immunized to the period of greatest risk of complications in case of contagion, that is, at the end of the second trimester and during the third trimester of pregnancy," insist from the Ministry.
"It is also important that the environment of the pregnant woman is properly vaccinated and it is also recommended that people living with a pregnant woman take extreme prevention measures to reduce the risk of contagion: use of mask, correct hand hygiene, ventilation of the rooms, maintain interpersonal distance, limit the number of contacts and avoid crowds," he adds, recalling that the indicated vaccines for pregnant women are those of messenger RNA, that is, Pfizer and Moderna.
