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 https://doi.org/ 10.47488/dhrp.v1iS4.25 

  
 

http://dhrproceedings.org 11 © DHR Health Institute for Research and Development 
 

 

EDITORIAL 

COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Breast Feeding is Safe and 
Effective 
For the Mother, the Unborn Child and the Baby

 
Since the start of this pandemic, over 38.9 million 
people have been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 
infection in the United States and over 638,000 
people have died (1). With the rampant spread of 
the Delta variant, in the last 28 days alone, over 3.7 
million people have been diagnosed with COVID-
19 in the United States alone and in the last 14 days, 
more than 150,000 patients/day have been 
diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection (1). These 
observations are particularly disconcerting given 
the fact that we have three effective vaccines that 
have been approved by the US Food and Drug 
Administration for use in the United States which 
has resulted in the vaccination of over 369 million 
people of which, more than 173 million have been 
fully vaccinated (2, 3).  

Women who are pregnant, those trying to become 
pregnant, and/or breast feeding are particularly 
vulnerable to infection with the Delta variant of 
SARS-CoV-2. Despite the overwhelming evidence 
of the safety and efficacy of available vaccines in 
this vulnerable population, less than 25% of 
pregnant and breastfeeding women are vaccinated. 
These perturbing statistics have resulted in a rapid 
rise in hospitalizations of this vulnerable population 
with serious consequences for both the mother and 
the unborn child. Once diagnosed, many of the 
patients in this susceptible population are being 
treated with the cocktail of REGEN-CoV 
monoclonal antibody infusion which has been 
hailed as a “miracle” therapeutic intervention. 
However, it must be underscored that infusion of 
monoclonal antibodies provides only transient 
protection and it must not be considered as an 
alternative to vaccination. 

There are many compounding factors that have 
guided this high level of hesitation among pregnant 
and breast-feeding women from getting vaccinated. 
Misinformation and its amplification in the social 

media are perhaps the single most important factor 
leading to this observed outcome. It is therefore 
imperative that scientifically proven facts are 
considered while making such crucial decisions. 
Evidence concerning the safety and effectiveness of 
approved COVID-19 vaccines has been growing 
suggesting that the benefits far outweigh any known 
or potential risk in this population. Furthermore, 
contrary to the prevailing misinformation about the 
COVID-19 vaccines, there is no evidence that they 
cause any issues related to fertility in both men and 
women and is safe for the unborn baby as well as 
those being breastfed. 

Based on the available data that is supported by 
observations in our high-volume Women’s Hospital 
– a Level IV Maternal Facility, we conclude that 
pregnant women are more susceptible to SARS-
CoV-2 infection and getting a COVID-19 vaccine 
can protect them from severe illness. Additionally, 
after reviewing all the available scientific data, we 
have also determined that the available COVID-19 
vaccines are safe and effective and that the benefits 
of vaccination far outweigh the risk. We therefore 
recommend that all pregnant women, those trying 
to get pregnant and/or breast feeding should 
seriously consider getting vaccinated. 

References  

1. COVID-19 Dashboard – Coronavirus Resource Center, Johns 
Hopkins University of Medicine.  
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html (Accessed August 30, 
2021; 15:21 hrs; CST) 

2. Vasireddy D, Atluri P, Malayala SV, Vanaparthy R, Mohan G. 
Review of COVID-19 Vaccines Approved in the United States 
of America for Emergency Use [published correction appears in 
J Clin Med Res. 2021 Jul;13(7):412]. J Clin Med Res. 
2021;13(4):204-213. doi:10.14740/jocmr4490  

3. COVID Data Tracker – Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-
tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total (Accessed 
August 30, 2021; 19:27 hrs; CST) 

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total


DHRP, 2021, Vol. 1 (S4) 11-12  Editorial 

  
 

http://dhrproceedings.org 12 © DHR Health Institute for Research and Development 
    
 

Sohail Rao, MD, MA, DPhil 

Executive Vice President, DHR Health, 5501 S. McColl 
Road, Edinburg, Texas 

President & Chief Executive Officer, DHR Health 
Institute for Research & Development, 5323 S. McColl 
Road, Edinburg, Texas 

Corresponding author email: s.rao@dhr-rgv.com 

Disclosures: None 

ORCID: Sohail Rao: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5027-
9992 

Efrain Vela, MD 

Chief Medical Officer, Women’s Hospital, DHR Health, 
2821 Michael Angelo Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539 

Disclosures: None 

Manish Singh, MD, FACS 

Chief Executive Officer, DHR Health, 5501 S. McColl 
Road, Edinburg, Texas 

Disclosures: None 

ORCID: Manish Singh: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-
4146-3282  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5027-9992
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5027-9992
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4146-3282
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4146-3282

