The Connecticut Department of Public Health on Thursday issued an urgent health advisory for people who are pregnant, were recently pregnant, are trying to become pregnant or who might become pregnant to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
"The deadly COVID-19 illness can affect you and your newborn. Pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes that could include preterm birth, stillbirth, admission to the ICU, and a newborn also infected with COVID-19," the advisory reads.
This comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar alert, saying the benefits of the protections from the COVID-19 vaccine outweigh potential risks for the person or for their fetus or baby.
A total of 161 pregnant women have died of COVID-19, according to the CDC. Yet agency data shows that only 31% of pregnant people have been vaccinated.
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CDC officials say unvaccinated pregnant women are more than twice as likely than non-pregnant women to need intensive care and a ventilator when they contract COVID-19.
There is still limited data about data are limited about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for people who are pregnant. The CDC is collecting information on the issue through its v-safe COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry.
