COVID vaccine trial for pregnant women

Pfizer aims to enroll 4,000 pregnant women

(KYMA, KECY) - Pfizer-BioNTech said it had begun its clinical trials of COVID vaccines in pregnant women in the U.S.

Pfizer aims to enroll around 4,000 pregnant women who are 24 to 34 weeks into their pregnancy to participate in the trials. Pregnant women from the U.S. and Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mozambique, South Africa, Spain, and the U.K. will participate.

The first dose will be administered in the U.S., according to Pfizer. Dr. Breanna Hughes, a maternal-fetal specialist, said, Any data to help reassure pregnant patients that the vaccine is safe for them is desperately needed," Hughes, a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists."

Specialists will continue to gather evidence and continue to practice in pregnant women to collect their data and potentially support a vaccine.

They will continue to monitor for side effects in women, including miscarriage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say pregnant women who become infected with COVID have an increased risk of complications. However, there is no guidance on whether they should get vaccinated.

While Pfizer continues to study pregnant women, it will also follow newborns for up to six months to see if the mother's antibodies will transfer over.