Pregnant women urged to get vaccinated after increase in COVID-19 infant hospitalizations

Windsor, Ont. -

A renewed call for COVID-19 vaccination is putting a particular emphasis on pregnant women.

“I think everybody needs to get vaccinated but especially pregnant women,” Chatham-Kent’s medical officer of health Dr. David Colby said Thursday. “We’ve had a number of initiatives in Chatham-Kent including a community information session that was run by one of our obstetricians here in town to encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated.”

In other jurisdictions in Ontario, hospitals are urging those who are pregnant to get vaccinated saying since the middle of December, more babies under the age of 12 months have been hospitalized, noting it was previously a rare occurrence.

A young girl from Wellington County under the age of 10 who tested positive for COVID-19 died on Monday, Jan. 3. Officials with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph confirmed this was the first death of a child with the disease in the region.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit continues to encourage all members of the community to receive their COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible, including anyone who is trying to become pregnant, is currently expecting, or is post-partum.

In a statement to CTV News, WECHU says, “The benefits of the vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination. Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding can pass on high levels of valuable antibodies against COVID-19 to their babies through vaccination and natural immunity. Additionally, it’s important for those who are pregnant to get vaccinated as it can help prevent more severe outcomes should they become infected with COVID-19.”

Officials say they strongly encourage anyone who is trying to become pregnant, is currently expecting, or is post-partum and unvaccinated to talk to their healthcare provider about their individual situation.

Meantime, Dr. Colby also encourages everyone to get vaccinated, saying the science is clear. “It’s so unfortunate that this has become a polarizing issue that we can actually divide people into the pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination camps. Those camps have less common ground than ever before.”

Colby adds, “If everybody just takes a step back and looks at the scientific evidence and listens to legitimate scientific authorities, I think the evidence is very, very clear that there’s an overwhelming advantage to getting vaccinated for your own health and personal safety as well as the good of society.”

With files from CTVNewsKitchener.ca.