Protect Yourself and Your Baby From COVID-19: Get Vaccinated!

University at Buffalo researcher Elana Tal, MD, MS, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has an important message for anyone who is pregnant or trying to conceive: “The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Do not become complacent or think that just because you have not gotten sick yet you are in the clear. If you have waited to get the vaccine thus far, the time is now!”

That message is particularly relevant to Tal. She gave birth to a baby girl in January, just days after sharing her story of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant in a UB-produced YouTube video titled “What you need to know about pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccinations.” The question-and-answer format gave Tal the opportunity to discuss her personal experience with the vaccine, and why it was the right choice.

Following the YouTube video came a UBNow story as well as appearances on local news stations WIVB and WKBW .

“I decided to share my story because I was dealing with misinformation and vaccine hesitancy daily in my clinical practice as an OBGYN,” Tal explains. “Because I know how sick pregnant people can get with COVID and that infection increases the risk of both maternal death and stillbirth [see Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report on this topic], I felt scared for the health of my patients and their babies. I thought if sharing my story encouraged even one person to get vaccinated, it would be worth it. So, it was an easy decision for me.”

Tal notes that numerous recent studies have shown the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine for pregnant persons. (See links below to news stories reporting on these studies.) In addition, the CDC reports that people who are pregnant have not reported any different side effects from people who are not pregnant after vaccination with the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.

The response Tal has received since sharing her experience with the vaccine has been overwhelmingly positive, a sign her message is resonating throughout Western New York: “I’ve received thanks for sharing my story and, of course, congratulations on my own pregnancy.”

Tal understands why such issues are complicated for expectant parents. However, she says, the science is clear: vaccination is the most effective way to protect both mother and baby from COVID-19. (Studies show that completion of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccination series during pregnancy might help prevent COVID-19 hospitalization among infants aged less than six months.)

When it comes to timing, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found that the levels of antibodies passed from mother to baby are high whether vaccination occurs a few weeks before pregnancy, early in pregnancy, or even late in pregnancy. “The message here is that you can get vaccinated at any point during pregnancy and it is likely going to be beneficial to you and your baby at the time of birth — and of course by getting vaccinated early you will be protecting yourself and your baby throughout the pregnancy,” says Yawei Jenny Yang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine.

Tal adds that the evolution of COVID-19 is yet another reason for expectant mothers to act now.

“With every passing day, there are new threats of emerging variants, but also more and more data that shows this vaccine is safe and effective both before and during pregnancy,” she says. “Protect yourself and your baby: get vaccinated!”

News and resources on COVID-19 and pregnancy:

• “COVID-19 Vaccines While Pregnant or Breastfeeding” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• “New Study Finds That the Best Time for COVID-19 Vaccination During Your Pregnancy May Be Now” (Weill Cornell Medicine)
• “Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People at Increased Risk for Severe Illness From COVID-19” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• “Risk for Stillbirth Among Women With and Without COVID-19 at Delivery Hospitalization — United States, March 2020–September 2021” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• “Science Update: COVID Vaccines in Pregnancy Boost Maternal and Newborn Immunity, NIH-funded Study Suggests” (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
• “Study Suggests COVID-19 Vaccines do not Reduce Fertility” (National Institutes of Health)
• “Vaccines for Pregnant Women” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
• “Why I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine During My Pregnancy” (American Hospital Association)