In general, pregnant women are more likely to catch seasonal “flu”, and to have worse symptoms from flu-like illnesses. Medical professionals recommend seasonal flu injections for pregnant women. The COVID-19 vaccine is not universally available yet.
So far, there is no proof that COVID-19 causes worse infection in pregnant women. But, if you have any other chronic illnesses such as TB, high blood pressure, heart disease, HIV, diabetes or are overweight/obese, you may get the COVID-19 illness worse than other people. Most women with COVID-19 in pregnancy can self isolate and be managed at home. For the few (less than 10%) who need to be in hospital, it is mostly in the last 3 months of pregnancy, This is a time for pregnant women to be very careful about preventing infection.
If the mother gets immunised, there may be benefits for both her and the baby.
Please keep checking for information about the COVID-19 vaccine for
pregnant and breastfeeding women on this website.
We are committed to bringing moms evidence-based information about COVID-19 and pregnancy/breastfeeding as soon as it becomes available. Please check back often for updates.
