ARCHIVED - Spain recommends Covid vaccination for pregnant women

In Catalunya only 20 per cent of mothers-to-be have received the first vaccine dose

After a long delay while evidence was gathered and analysed Spain’s Ministry of Health issued an official recommendation on Wednesday to the effect that pregnant women should be vaccinated against coronavirus, preferably receiving both doses of the vaccines before reaching the final term of their pregnancies.

The Public Health Committee and the Federation of Spanish Scientific Medical Associations specify that immunization prevents complications during pregnancy, especially in mothers-to-be who present risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, pre-eclampsia or being aged over 35.

In addition, it is recommended that the Pfizer and Moderna RNA vaccines be used, whatever the age of the woman, and that all of those in close and constant contact with the pregnant woman should also be vaccinated. At the same time, safety precautions such as facemasks, hand-washing and ventilating indoor spaces should be borne in mind at all times.

In conclusion, the report recommends that couples planning to have a baby should wait until the mother has been fully vaccinated before doing so!

This is the first time that the national government has made an official announcement on the matter, but last week the regional Health minister in Andalucía urged pregnant women to receive their jabs and other regional health services have made similar statements.

In the region of Catalunya alone as many as 549 pregnant women have been admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 so far this year, 52 of them requiring intensive care although fortunately all survived. At the same time, the region reports that of the 22,252 women who are known to be pregnant only 20 per cent have received the first vaccine dose and just 11.75 per cent are fully vaccinated, and all over Spain it will now be a priority to ensure that this sector of the population is protected.

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