STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Pregnant women should not take the Moderna or the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) says, at least for now.
“While pregnancy puts women at a higher risk of severe COVID-19, the use of this vaccine in pregnant women is currently not recommended,” the WHO said about the Moderna vaccine on its website.
The Moderna vaccine is still recommended for pregnant women who are “at risk of high exposure” — such as health-care workers, the WHO says.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is also not recommended for pregnant women at this time “due to insufficient data, the WHO said on its website, yet those at risk of higher exposure should discuss the vaccine with their health-care provider.
Kate O’Brien, director of immunization for the WHO, said there were no issues with the Moderna vaccine, but acknowledged that more data was needed, according to a report by Reuters.
Both vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which do not contain the live virus that causes COVID-19 and, therefore, cannot give someone COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, “mRNA vaccines do not interact with a person’s DNA, because the mRNA does not enter the nucleus of the cell,’' the CDC stated on its website.
Yet, the actual risks of mRNA vaccines to the pregnant person and her fetus are unknown, because these vaccines have not been sufficiently studied in pregnant women, the medical agencies both said.
Others who should avoid the mRNA vaccines include anyone who may be allergic to any of the vaccine’s ingredients and seniors who are very fragile.
“While vaccination is recommended for older persons due to the high risk of severe COVID-19 and death, very frail older persons with an anticipated life expectancy of less than 3 months should be individually assessed,” the WHO said.
And while the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available for children aged 16 and up, the Moderna vaccine is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18, the WHO said.
The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommended that the second shot of the Moderna vaccine be administered within 28 days, yet, “the interval between the doses may be extended to 42 days,” according to its website.
“Compliance with the full schedule is recommended, and the same product should be used for both doses,” the WHO said.
The Pfizer-Bio-NTech vaccine requires two doses. which the WHO recommends be administered with a 21- to 28-day interval.