Pregnant doctors get the COVID-19 vaccine and recommend it to others as well

Baptist Health System, San Antonio, TexasKATIE KINDELAN, ABC News

(San Antonio) — Dr. Nayeli Rodulfo-Zayas, an emergency physician in San Antonio, Texas, was 35 weeks pregnant when she received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month.

Rodulfo-Zayas, also a two-year-old mother, talks about her decision in the hope of encouraging other pregnant women to have important educated conversations with their healthcare providers about getting the vaccine.

Pregnant women are not actively included in late-stage clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine, including the US Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA technology that uses fragments of viral genetic material as a way for the body to learn and develop protection against future infections. If approved, they are the first mRNA vaccines that are theoretically safe during pregnancy because they do not contain live viruses.

Rodulfo-Zayas said knowing the science of mRNA technology, which does not invade the nucleus of cells and does not alter human DNA, helped inform her of her decision to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“In itself, it’s one of the reasons I decided to vaccinate because I understand science and I’m confident in it, and I’m at high risk of getting sick. “She said. “I’m a Hispanic woman and I’m constantly avoiding COVID patients.”

“I talked to my obstetrician and gynecologist and decided that the best thing for me was to get the vaccine,” she added.

The decision to vaccinate was also very personal to Rudolfo-Zayas, who lost his 57-year-old mother to the virus last year.

“She was probably infected with COVID in early June, but unfortunately she was part of that vulnerable population,” Rudolfozyas said, explaining that her mother had diabetes, high blood pressure, and dialysis. .. “She was fine for about a week, but then she got really sick and ended up in the ICU.”

“In six months she should have been vaccinated,” she added about the timing of her mother’s death. “That’s a big loss to me. I miss her every day, but she would have wanted me to do good and keep doing the work I’m doing. So I Is doing this and educating people. “

Rudolfo-Zayas received the first vaccination in mid-December and the second vaccination on January 7. She said the second injection had mild side effects, such as chills and a low-grade fever. More than 24 hours.

“I just want people to know it [vaccine] Side effects are minimal, present, and some people feel sick, but they are temporary and can’t be compared to what I saw when I was hospitalized with COVID, “she said. say. Said. “They are pale compared to what people experience when they get COVID and need oxygen.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women in the priority group who are recommended to be vaccinated with COVID-19 should “choose vaccination” and discuss their health status during pregnancy. You can make informed decisions with. A care provider to better understand the potential risks and benefits.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a professional membership organization of OB-GYN, said last month that both pregnant and lactating women in the vaccine priority group should receive the same dose. Announced recommendations.

Rudolfo-Zayas said he encouraged other pregnant people to discuss with their healthcare providers whether they should be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine and to consider the risks of not being vaccinated.

According to the CDC, data show that pregnant people with COVID-19 are “admitted to the intensive care unit, invasive ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and death” compared to non-pregnant people. Has been shown to be at high risk.

“Especially in the case of immunodeficiency and because it has many effects on COVID infection, we recommend vaccination if you have a chronic condition,” Rudolfo-Zayas said. “COVID itself is really dangerous. The side effects of the vaccine are not so great.”

What you need to know about pregnancy and the COVID-19 vaccine

The question of whether a pregnant person should be vaccinated with COVID-19 is ultimately all from the semester, risk factors for COVID-19, the ability to stay socially distant in her lifestyle and profession, It comes down to many factors, including guidance from. Recommendations from federal and state officials and their doctors, according to experts.

Health professionals need to rely on continuously received data to make decisions about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy.

Authorities are doing the same for the general public, given the rate at which the COVID-19 vaccine was developed, and pregnant people “should not worry unnecessarily,” says Johns Hopkins Berman. Dr. Ruth Faden, the founder of the institute, said. Bioethicists studying bioethics and pregnancy and vaccine ethics Good morning, America last year.

“Vaccines are coming, and they are coming before we get all the information we have to recommend to pregnant people,” she said. “But this is a situation where decisions and recommendations are being made to the general public without all the evidence we want, so research continues.”

The Maternal-Fetal Medicine Association (SMFM) issued a statement in December expecting parents to “engage in shared decisions” with doctors about vaccines.

“In general, SMFM will allow pregnant women access to the COVID-19 vaccine at all stages of future vaccine campaigns, and she and her healthcare professionals will make shared decisions regarding vaccine receipt. It is highly recommended that … the mRNA vaccine, which is likely to be the first vaccine available, is free of live viruses and induces humoral and cellular immune responses through the use of viral mRNAs. ” The association said in a statement. “Healthcare professionals also need to advise patients that the theoretical risk of fetal harm from the mRNA vaccine is very low.”

Health professionals need to remain vigilant about COVID-19 by following safety protocols such as wearing face masks, social distance, and hand washing for pregnant people, with or without vaccines. It states.

“Telling my patients is one of the things I’m convinced that pregnant women can get COVID,” said a maternal-fetal medicine expert at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Rashmi Rao said GMA last year. “We haven’t seen a large proportion of the detrimental consequences of the fetal, but again, it hasn’t been decided yet because of the long way to go to gather information.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. all rights reserved.