The COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause birth defects, miscarriages, or infertility according to Dr. Rachael Morris. She’s associate professor of maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She says misinformation about the vaccines are creating fear, when the fear should be of COVID-19, for the health of the baby and the mother. Morris says some who are unvaccinated are dying.
“I’ve lost eight mothers from this pandemic. We are doing more bedside surgeries because the mother is so ill, we just have to deliver the babies in the ICU because they can’t even get to an operating room. That’s how unstable they are. This is so abnormal. We’re losing young mothers and it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Morris.
Morris says studies have provided information about the risk of COVID-19 to pregnant women. One she says found a 70 percent increase in the risk of death among pregnant women compared to those who are not. Morris says the vaccine won’t harm the fetus.
“There’s a large amount of safety data we didn’t have six months ago that tells us that application of the vaccine in pregnancy is safe,” said Morris.
Jessica Key of Pearl, is eight months pregnant. The 30-year old wanted to wait until COVID-19 vaccines are fully approved by the FDA. But three factors led Key to get her first dose last week.
"I talked to my doctor. She stated it would be fine since I was further along in my pregnancy and my baby was developed. My children going back to school and the new Delta variant,” said Key.
Dr. Rachael Morris says women can get the coronavirus vaccine at any trimester during their pregnancy. She adds those undergoing fertility treatments should do so as well.
