Studies show expectant mothers are at an increased risk of severe illness if they catch the coronavirus. But they also face unknowns about whether or not they should get vaccinated while pregnant.
Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson revealed she has COVID-19, just two weeks after announcing she was pregnant. The 29-year-old says she's concerned about what that diagnosis means for her and her baby.
“I’m nervous knowing I’m positive,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “My body is just exhausted.”
Johnson has been open about her past struggles with fertility. In 2017, she revealed that she suffered a miscarriage. She had her first child, a daughter named Drew, in 2019.
Studies show expectant mothers are at an increased risk of severe illness if they catch the coronavirus. But those women also face unknowns about whether they should get vaccinated while pregnant, because the research is virtually nonexistent.
Pfizer and Moderna did not include pregnant women in their clinical trials. The World Health Organization initially advised against getting the shots while pregnant, citing insufficient data. But health experts now say getting the vaccine outweighs the risk of contracting the virus.
“It’s a personal decision at this point. There are some animal studies right now that look very promising that there aren’t any safety issues. And so as OB-GYNs we really have to advocate for women to be getting the vaccine if they feel comfortable with that,” Dr. Lisa Masterson told Inside Edition.
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