DHEC encourages pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19, per CDC study

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is encouraging all pregnant women across the state to get their COVID-19 vaccine. It comes after a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found babies whose mothers got the two-dose shots have a reduced risk of being hospitalized with the disease for the first six months of their lives.

Researchers say pregnant women who got the shot later on in their pregnancies have a 80% chance of protecting their babies. That chance reduces to 32% if they got it early on.

“We have known for a while that a COVID-19 vaccination is completely safe and effective for pregnant people,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC Public Health Director. “This latest news from CDC is exciting because it not only confirms the benefits for those who are pregnant, but it highlights the benefits for their babies as well. We strongly encourage expectant individuals to get vaccinated and provide that added layer of protection to their babies. Even once the COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for use in the youngest group of children, infants will have to be six months old before they can receive it. The protection passed to a baby from their vaccinated mother during pregnancy can help protect them until they are old enough for vaccination.”

The study monitored 379 children who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and other sicknesses at 20 pediatric hospitals between July and mid-January of this year.