Pregnant Quebec, a priority for COVID-19 vaccination

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Worried about bowing to pressure from obstetricians Pregnant womanThe Quebec Department of Health has announced that pregnant mothers will be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting Wednesday.

“I’m excited about what happened and will be vaccinated soon,” said Laura Dangero, who is hoping for a baby in July. “We are excited to be able to follow the doctor’s instructions.”

D’Angelo said he was sailing his second pregnancy, but was creepy after reading a news report last week about a wave of pregnant women filling the intensive care units of several Ontario hospitals.

Some pregnant women with severe COVID-19 needed ventilation, while others had premature birth or an emergency caesarean section.

D’Angelo and her husband work outside the house, and her two-year-old daughter is doing day care, so she was worried she might suffer a similar fate before giving birth this summer. ..

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So she started a female crusade trying to persuade Quebec’s health authorities to qualify pregnant women at the current stage of the vaccination campaign.

She sent an email to Health Minister Christian Duvet, Director of Public Health of Oracio Aruda, and members of the Quebec National Public Institute, stating that Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have already included pregnant women in their priority groups. Reminded me.

“These new variants seem to have changed how serious this is for pregnant women,” Dangero said in an interview.

Following the recent surge in ICU admission to Ontario hospitals, the Canadian Gynecologists Association has called on all states to vaccinate pregnant women immediately and regained their Pfizer vaccine in December. Was repeated.

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“These women are getting sick very quickly,” SOGC said in a statement. “Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 appear to be more likely to develop respiratory complications requiring intensive care than non-pregnant women. Prosthetic respiratory support during pregnancy. It is more difficult to provide and the risk is greater for both mother and child. “

The Quebec Obstetricians and Gynecologists Association also weighted that pregnant women need to be vaccinated immediately.

“I haven’t heard of any good reason not to prioritize pregnant women,” said Dr. Violaine Marcoux, president of AOGQ, before the new directive was issued Tuesday afternoon. “All Quebec experts in infectious diseases, obstetrics and pediatrics agree.”

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Cases of COVID-19 in Quebec have declined in the past few weeks, but doctors have not seen a decline in the number of pregnant women carrying the virus. “Recently, it happens about once a week,” said Marcue, who works at the Jewish General Hospital.

“Patients are becoming more and more ill because the mutants have a serious impact on pregnant women.”

Quebec has about 80,000 births each year.

Obstetricians do not know the number of pregnant women infected with COVID-19 in Quebec. This is because the health sector does not aggregate this cohort.

Maternity hospitals in Montreal have not seen a surge in cases like Ontario, but there are some serious cases.

In March, a team of experts at Royal Victoria Hospital saved the lives of a critically ill woman and her baby using artificial lungs and ventilators during an emergency delivery. Reported by Lapresse On the weekend.

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On Saturday, a pregnant woman with severe COVID-19 was treated in the intensive care unit of the Jewish General Hospital after an emergency caesarean section.

“There are so many stories in the press that it changes my mind when I hear about what’s happening in Quebec,” said Dangero.

Dr. Roberta Shear, director of obstetrics at the Jewish General Hospital, said there are several reasons why pregnant women should be vaccinated immediately.

Changes in the immune system make pregnant women more susceptible to influenza and other respiratory viruses such as COVID-19.

Eight to ten pregnant women with COVID-19 have been treated in the ICU of the Jewish General Hospital over the past year. The risk that pregnant women need to be hospitalized or treated in the ICU is also much higher than in the general population, Sheer said.

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Doctors don’t know why pregnant women are at increased risk of COVID-19, but believe it is due to changes in heart and lung output.

Some women are worried about getting vaccinated during pregnancy, but Sheer said the benefits of being protected from COVID-19 are not negligible. Several recent studies have shown that cord blood contains protective antibodies, suggesting that the vaccine may give some immunity to newborns.

D’Angelo said he was excited about the change in Quebec’s health authorities and advised other pregnant women to book vaccinations as soon as possible.

“The risk of getting COVID-19 without vaccination seems to be much higher for you and your baby than the theoretical risk of getting this vaccine,” she said.

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Sheer said she was overjoyed to hear that her pregnant mother was eligible for vaccination. “Pregnant women and their babies will be protected as they should be.”

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