Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 April 2021
143. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he has evaluated all available evidence for prioritisation of pregnant women on the vaccine priority list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20957/21]
View answerPregnant women are at a similar risk to non-pregnant women of contracting COVID-19 disease. Most pregnant women who are infected with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and the risk of passing COVID-19 virus to the baby is low.
However, pregnant women who become ill from COVID-19 are more likely to be admitted to hospital, to need care in an ICU, and to die when compared with non-pregnant women patients.
Women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds may be more likely than other pregnant women to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19 disease.
Pregnant women who are healthcare workers or who have medical conditions which put them at high risk of severe disease are included in the respective priority groups. The priority for other pregnant women will be determined when more evidence is available.
It is important to emphasise that vaccination is only one part of our response to the prevention of COVID-19 infection. People who are vaccinated need to continue with all the public health measures that have been proven to reduce the risk of infection, i.e., limiting our social contacts, physical distancing, wearing a mask, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and avoiding non-essential travel until a sufficiently large proportion of the population are immune.
