Germany "Recommends COVID-19 Vaccination After Prenatal Checkups"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 18th (local time), the German Standing Committee on Vaccination announced that it recommends COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women after individual examinations.

This expands the previous recommendation, which advised only pregnant women with pre-existing conditions or those at high risk of COVID-19 exposure due to living conditions to receive mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines after detailed consultation.

Marianne R?bl-Mathieu, a member of the Standing Committee on Vaccination and representative of the German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics, told Funke Media Group on the same day, "This is a signal to politicians and obstetricians recommending large-scale COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women after individual examinations."

If the attending obstetrician does not administer the vaccine directly, pregnant women can receive vaccination at a family doctor's office or vaccination center by presenting the appropriate documentation.

According to R?bl-Mathieu, pregnant women and their close contacts belong to priority group 2 for vaccination.

Pregnant women are at higher risk of severe progression if infected with COVID-19, and countries like the United States have long prioritized them for vaccination. In the U.S., already 100,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated.

According to U.S. researchers, pregnant women vaccinated against COVID-19 pass antibodies to their babies. Later, antibodies are also transferred through breast milk.