Health i_need_contribute
Should pregnant women be vaccinated? And other questions
source:BBC 2020-12-03 [Health]
The first Covid vaccine has been approved by the UK government and could start to be rolled out next week.Here are some of your questions about what this means and other related topics.
  • Is it safe for pregnant women and their babies to take the vaccine?

  • From Abbie Rankin, Dumfries

    Philippa RoxbyHealth reporter

    At present, women are not advised to have a Covid vaccine during pregnancy, or if they are planning to get pregnant in the next three months.

    There are no safety concerns from any of the data but, as in most trials, the vaccine has not yet been tested on pregnant women.

    As a result, the official advice is that women should postpone being vaccinated until they have given birth.

    NHS guidance says that if a woman finds out she is pregnant after having the first dose, she should not have the second dose until after the pregnancy has ended.

    The vaccine distribution will be largely prioritised by age, so the majority of pregnant women would be low down on the list to receive it in any case.

    Even pregnant women who are at higher risk of coronavirus – with underlying heart conditions, for example – should wait until after their pregnancy and then have the jab as soon as possible afterwards.

  • Could there be a delay having the second vaccination due to low stock or supply delivery problems? If so how would that affect the immunisation process?

  • From Paul, Wakefield

    Philippa RoxbyHealth reporter

    The Pfizer vaccine consists of two doses, given about 21 days apart, and full protection from Covid-19 only starts a week after the second dose.

    The 800,000 doses being sent to the UK in the first batch is therefore enough for 400,000 people – and they are likely to be NHS staff and patients.

    Because these will be carried out in regional hospital hubs, there is no danger of low supply, and when the next, larger batch arrives all of the doses will also be earmarked for priority groups.

  • How can we be sure the vaccine is safe with such a short testing period?

  • From Maddie M

    Rachel SchraerHealth reporter

    Although it’s been done quickly, this vaccine trial hasn’t skipped any of the usual steps.

    The only difference is that some of the stages overlapped so, for example, phase three of the trial – when tens of thousands of people are given the vaccine – started while phase two, involving a few hundred people, was still going on.

    Side effects usually show up quite quickly after vaccination and longer-term effects are extremely rare – much, much rarer than long-term side effects of the virus.

    Usually vaccine trials are slowed down by long periods of waiting around, applying for permission, funding and resources.

    It’s those elements that were sped up, because of the huge global interest in doing so.

  • When the rollout of the vaccine begins next week with the priority 1 group, will those in that group who have had Covid already, be vaccinated?

  • From Neil, Croydon

    Rachel SchraerHealth reporter

    People will be vaccinated whether or not they’ve had Covid.

    We don’t yet know how long natural immunity lasts, and vaccination can offer better protection than immunity from the disease itself.

  • Are you protected after the first dose of the vaccine?

  • From Lynne Wait, Poole

    Rachel SchraerHealth reporter

    The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses to be fully effective.

    According to Prof Sir Munir Pirmohamed, chairman of the Commission on Human Medicine Expert Working Group, the first jab provides only partial immunity, from about 12 days after the injection.

    People will be given a second dose of the vaccine 21 days after the first, and they should be fully immune seven days after that.

  • Is the vaccine compulsory?

  • From Kim, North Yorkshire

    Philippa RoxbyHealth correspondent

    No, people in the UK are not being told they must have the vaccine.

    However, those in the most at-risk groups (over-70s and care home residents), and people who work in care homes and for the NHS will be expected to have it - to protect themselves and the people they care for.

    Making a vaccine mandatory is not usually recommended because it can lower confidence in the jab.

  • How long will immunity last once vaccinated?

  • From Seth Harris, Norfolk

    Philippa RoxbyHealth correspondent

    Scientists don’t know the exact answer to that at the moment.

    The volunteers in the vaccine trials who were given the jab will be followed up for many months to come to check how long they are protected for.

    Natural immunity to the virus, once someone has been infected, appears to last at least six months so it’s likely a vaccine will offer this length of protection and hopefully a lot more.