COVID-19 Vaccine Considerations during Pregnancy and Lactation
Dean A. Blumberg, Aparna Sridhar, Satyan Lakshminrusimha, Rosemary D. Higgins, George R. Saade
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines have been developed with unprecedented rapidity, deliver the vaccine antigen in a completely different manner than all previous vaccines in widespread use, and are made available outside of the routine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process. Therefore, it is understandable that there is uncertainty about the safety of their administration during pregnancy and lactation, both among clinicians and those who are pregnant or lactating. In this commentary, we review the limited available data as well as theoretical considerations concerning safety of vaccination during pregnancy and lactation. Finally, we discuss guidance in this situation and our perspective in the context of disease severity and transmission.