Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Local and regional health officials are encouraging pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in light of new studies that show increases in complications and stillbirths.

Local and regional health officials are urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Allegheny Health Network’s Women’s Institute cites a new study published this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stating that “COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with preterm delivery or underweight newborns,” according to a statement from AHN.

They say this is the “latest proof point in the growing body of evidence that demonstrates the vaccines’ safety and efficacy, especially when measured against reported outcomes among unvaccinated pregnant populations with COVID-19 infections.”

“In an immunosuppressed state, unvaccinated pregnant women and their babies are at an increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 including hospitalization, stillbirth and even death,” said Dr. Marcia Klein-Patel, chair of AHN Women’s Institute.

“On behalf of the many physicians and clinicians which comprise the AHN Women’s Institute, we can’t express enough the importance of pregnant women receiving their COVID-19 vaccination not only for their health and well-being but for the health of their babies.”

That message was reflected locally, as well.

“Maternity patients are one of the most vulnerable groups that we are currently caring for,” Warren General Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Joe Akif said. “We now are seeing mothers with COVID starting to be induced at 36 weeks due to the unborn baby showing distress.”

“After delivery, we are seeing the impact of COVID on mothers’ bodies that threaten babies,” he explained.

“We have seen severe outcomes with some of our unvaccinated patients.”

In November, the CDC published data that showed pregnant women infected with COVID were three times more likely to die compared to infected non-pregnant women of the same reproductive age, according to AHN. The chances of stillbirth were dramatically higher, as well.

That statement explained that, across the country, just a little over 30 percent of pregnant women are vaccinated against COVID-19, even as nearly 70 percent of the general population has received at least their first dose. “Anecdotally, AHN continues to see an increase of pregnant women willing to receive the vaccine but still not at extremely high rates.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the two leading organizations representing specialists in obstetric care, recommended that all pregnant individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19, including booster shots, with a clinical preference for either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccination series.

“We encourage all pregnant women to stay in close contact with their Obstetricians to manage their pregnancy during this difficult time,” Akif said. “They would be the best source regarding care and recommended treatments for pregnant mothers and their unborn child.”