According to the findings, which were published in the journal “Nature Medicine,” pregnant women and their infants who had not been vaccinated experienced complications at much higher rates.
A study conducted in Scotland discovered that unvaccinated pregnant women had more complications from getting COVID-19 than those who were vaccinated, CBS News reported.
According to the findings, which were published in the journal “Nature Medicine,” pregnant women and their infants who had not been vaccinated experienced complications at much higher rates, but pregnant women vaccination rates remain lower than the general population.
"We really want to advocate for clear and consistent public health messaging and that's so that doctors and midwives and health care professionals can give the right advice to women," said Dr. Sarah Stock, one of the authors of the study.
"This advice needs to go out to partners and parents and grandparents and friends, so people can recognize that vaccination in pregnancy is the safest and most effective way for pregnant women to protect themselves and their babies."
Scientists analyzed data from nearly 150,000 pregnancies from March 2020 to October 2021 alongside data from PCR tests and vaccination status.
Between Dec. 2020 and Oct. 2021, 4,950 pregnant women had confirmed COVID-19 infections in Scotland, and 90% of the infections that occurred in unvaccinated women were associated with hospital admission. Of the 104 cases that ended up in critical care, 98.1% were unvaccinated, according to the journal report.
The rate of perinatal death was also high in women who had COVID-19.
As of October 2021, only 32% of women in Scotland had gotten both doses of the vaccine, according to the study, while 77% of non-pregnant women in the same age range had not been.
"The key take-home message that we'd love to get across is that, really, the best way to protect both mother and baby is vaccination at the earliest opportunity," Dr. Aziz Sheikh, another author in the study, told reporters.
