Pregnant women are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as the province has moved pregnancy to the highest risk category for vaccine eligibility in Ontario.
The province has made the change in response to new data on the increased risk of severe illness for pregnant women.
All pregnant residents will now be categorized under the highest risk health conditions in Phase 2 of the province’s vaccine rollout plan.
The majority of health units in Ontario are offering vaccinations to those in the highest risk and high risk categories.
Pregnant individuals are eligible to receive their vaccine through immunization clinics by booking an appointment through the provincial call centre at 1-888-999-6488. Pregnant individuals who are in a health unit not using the provincial booking system will be directed to their local units to book an appointment.
Pregnancy was originally announced as part of the third tier of health conditions or the “at-risk” category with vaccine eligibility estimated to be in mid-May. The province has moved pregnancy to the highest risk category for health conditions identified in Phase 2.
One of the largest reports on COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy was published Wednesday by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and bolstered evidence that it is safe, although the authors did say more comprehensive research is needed.
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The preliminary results are based on reports from over 35,000 U.S. women who received either the Moderna or Pfizer shots while pregnant.
Their rates of miscarriage, premature births and other complications were comparable to those observed in published reports on pregnant women before the pandemic.
Those eligible for the vaccine in Ontario can book through the provincial portal or through their own public health units website.
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