COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy

Pregnant women are at increased risk for complications and severe illness if they are infected with coronavirus. Therefore, it is recommended to be vaccinated with the current Covid-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy. If you have not been vaccinated for Covid-19 before your pregnancy - it is recommended to get vaccinated during the pregnancy. The vaccine is safe for both the mother and the fetus.

The disease

Covid-19 is a highly contagious viral disease. Coronavirus attacks various systems of the body, but mainly the respiratory system. The common symptoms are flulike and include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, muscle ache, headache and loss of sense of taste and smell. The symptoms may vary because coronavirus strains constantly mutate. The main complications of the disease are pneumonia, cardiac complications, hypercoagulability and kidney failure, which may result in death.

The most common coronavirus strains harm humans less than previously, but the immunity that the population has acquired in previous years (through vaccines or contracting the disease) decreases over time.

Pregnant women who have been infected with coronavirus are at risk for developing a serious disease and complications, and it is therefore important for women to be vaccinated with the current Covid-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy. The vaccine does not affect the chances of getting pregnant and is safe and effective for pregnant both women and their fetuses.

The vaccine

The covid-19 vaccine has proved to be safe and effective against serious illness and death from the disease. The current vaccine is like previous vaccines, with small adjustments to the current coronavirus strains.

• Name of the vaccine: Spikevax.
• Composition of the vaccine: the vaccine is of mRNA type and acts against one of the coronavirus envelope proteins.
• Vaccination schedule: you may be vaccinated before or during pregnancy, during any pregnancy.
• How and where the vaccine is administered: the vaccine is administered by injection into the arm. You can get the vaccine at your HMO with a referral from your treating physician, free of charge.

The importance of getting vaccinated before or during pregnancy

Pregnant women who have been infected with coronavirus are at risk for developing a serious disease and complications, and can reduce the risk by getting the vaccine. Furthermore, coronavirus may affect the fetus, though this issue is still researched.

Possible side effects after vaccination and how to relieve them

Some vaccine recipients may suffer side effects after being vaccinated, but usually these are mild and resolve after a day or two:

• Pain at the injection site and local swelling: a clean cloth soaked with lukewarm water may be applied to the injection site. Avoid rubbing it.
• Headache, muscle ache, joint ache and shivers: pain relief medicine may be taken. Before using these medicines, it is worth consulting your attending physician about the types and dosages recommended during pregnancy.
• Diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes.
• Rare effects: inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). The effect is rare and has been reported primarily in young men after the administration of the second dose.

If side effects appear shortly after vaccination, it is important to report them on the Ministry of Health website.
COVID-19 vaccine adverse event reporting