Awareness and concerns of pregnant and lactating women regarding the COVID-19 vaccine

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination is one of the most important ways to combat an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but vaccination of pregnant and lactating women Recommendations are inconsistent.

German researchers recently conducted an anonymous cross-sectional online survey of pregnant and lactating women in Germany from March 30 to April 19, 2021. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of pregnant and lactating women in Germany towards COVID-19 vaccination. The study addressed attitudes to COVID-19 vaccination and the underlying reasons for these attitudes. The study also evaluated anxiety associated with the symptomatic course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.Research paper published in journal Gynecology and obstetrics archives..

Participants in the survey conducted through soscisurvey.de were recruited through obstetricians and gynecologists, midwives, and social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

At the time of recruitment, only about 10% of the German population was vaccinated, and only elderly people over the age of 70, people in certain risk groups such as hospitals and medical staff, and people with comorbidities had COVID. Was targeted for 19 vaccinations.

Pregnant or lactating women in Germany were not officially eligible for COVID-19 vaccination at the time of recruitment of participants.

The results show that breastfeeding women were more aggressively vaccinated than pregnant women.

A total of 2,339 women completed the survey. At the time of the survey, 1,043 were pregnant and 1,296 were breast-fed. More than 57% of pregnant women did not show a positive attitude towards vaccination, 28.8% were uncertain, and only 13.8% responded positively to vaccination at the time of the survey. However, more than 47% of women say they are in favor of vaccination if more scientific evidence about the safety of the vaccine in pregnant women is provided.

Breastfeeding women prefer vaccination compared to pregnant women, with 39.5% of breastfeeding women supporting vaccination, 32.5% disagreeing and 28.1% uncertain It was.

Studies have shown that vaccination motivation was significantly associated with women’s level of anxiety about getting infected and developing the disease. COVID19 Symptoms..

The main reasons for vaccine hesitation were the perception that vaccination-specific information and scientific evidence about vaccine safety were inadequate, and the fear that vaccines could harm the foetation and infants.

Pregnant group willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination. At the time of recruitment, the minority (13.8%) decided to receive COVID-19 vaccination. However, when asked if scientific studies would provide evidence of vaccination safety, 47.2% of the pregnant sample decided to be vaccinated.

The findings underscore the importance of research on the safety and efficacy of vaccines in pregnant women.

The results show that nearly 60% of pregnant women are not in favor of vaccination at the time of the study, consistent with the results of a similar study conducted in January 2021 on pregnant women in Italy. ..

More importantly, survey responses show that many pregnant women who dislike vaccines are willing to be vaccinated if more evidence is provided about the safety of their vaccines. This highlights the importance of scientific research on vaccine safety. Effectiveness In a pregnant woman.

The willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination varies greatly from group to group. Women in the pregnant group will decide to be vaccinated more than women in the breastfeeding group.

Although the acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccination among breastfeeding women was higher than that of pregnant women, many breastfeeding women were uncertain whether they were in favor of vaccination.

The main reasons for hesitating vaccines in both groups were the lack of sufficient information about vaccines and the limited scientific evidence of vaccine safety within the groups. Women in both groups were also worried that the vaccine would harm their offspring.

According to the author, medical professionals need to inform pregnant and lactating women about the benefits and risks of vaccines to protect women from the complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

“The study revealed anxiety and elevated levels of pregnant women during the pandemic, highlighting the psychological impact of the pandemic on this wise group.”

In addition, in the breastfeeding group, the data show that the greater the anxiety about severe COVID-19, the higher the vaccine acceptance. Breastfeeding women at high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 were also more likely to receive the vaccine.

Interestingly, in the pregnant group, vaccine acceptance was not associated with a serious risk factor for COVID-19. In conclusion, findings may have a significant impact on obstetric care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and official recommendations and information strategies for COVID-19 vaccination.

“The results presented here underscore the need for scientific research to show the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant and lactating women in order to increase vaccine acceptance and confidence.”