Getting COVID-19 while pregnant is associated with a higher risk of developing severe disease and pregnancy complications. Abundant data show that vaccination during pregnancy is safe for the mother and the unborn child and effectively reduces the risks of complications from the disease.
Some of the most common side effects following COVID-19 vaccination resemble flu symptoms. These include headache and fatigue. However, these side effects are relatively short-lived and aren’t associated with long-term repercussions. Getting COVID-19 is known to increase the risk of potentially serious medical problems. For example, studies have reported an elevated risk of developing blood clotting disorders and cardiovascular problems. While COVID-19 vaccination does carry risks as well, they significantly reduce the risk of severe disease and death. On balance, their benefits outweigh their risks.
Epidemiological data show that additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines (“boosters”) lower the risk of getting the disease. The residual DNA in mRNA vaccines, small fragments broken down by enzymes, are leftovers from the manufacturing process. Its amount is within the acceptable range determined by health agencies, which are aware of the phenomenon. No scientific data support the possibility of a potential risk to health of this residual DNA.
When COVID-19 vaccines were first tested, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had asked that manufacturers demonstrate first and foremost their vaccine’s ability to reduce the risk of getting COVID-19. The Pfizer-BioNTech 2020 clinical trial showed a 95% efficacy in reducing that risk. Furthermore, real-world analysis performed after the worldwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign showed that all-cause mortality was lower among vaccinated individuals.
To date, there have been more than 1.1 million COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of severe disease and death. While the COVID-19 vaccines have been linked to potentially serious side effects, such as a particular blood clotting disorder and myocarditis, the risk of blood clots and heart inflammation is higher after COVID-19 than after the vaccines. Overall, the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines outweigh their risks.
Public health measures such as vaccination and mask-wearing are safe and effective strategies that help reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the community. Because public health policies are evidence-based, they rely on the scientific evidence accumulated at a particular time. In the case of a novel pathogen about which little was known, this evidence was extremely scarce in the early stages. For this reason, public policies have evolved with time to align with new evidence that emerged later on.
Concerns over the potential health effects of residual DNA in biological products like vaccines aren’t new or unknown to regulatory agencies. In fact, recommended guidelines for acceptable levels of residual DNA were already established by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines containing DNA, such as the chickenpox vaccine—a live attenuated vaccine containing a DNA virus—have also been widely used before the pandemic and have been shown to be safe.
Like all medical interventions, COVID-19 vaccines can produce side effects. Most of these side effects are mild and short-lived. More serious risks, such as a rare blood clotting disorder and a type of heart inflammation have also been associated with certain COVID-19 vaccines, but are rare. The risk of heart problems and blood clotting, just to name a few, is greater with COVID-19 than with the vaccines. By reducing the risk of infection and severe disease in people, COVID-19 vaccines offer many benefits that go beyond just preventing COVID-associated heart problems. As such, the vaccines’ benefit outweighs their risk.
Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines harming fertility is a widespread myth that has damaged public trust in the vaccines. While the original vaccine clinical trials didn’t evaluate the effects of COVID-19 vaccines on fertility, scientific studies and safety surveillance data later on have shown that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women and don’t cause pregnancy or fertility problems. COVID-19 itself is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications, which vaccination can help prevent.
Available COVID-19 vaccines only use protein fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 virus or genetic information to produce these fragments instead of a full virus. Thus, COVID-19 vaccines cannot replicate in the body nor can they pass from one person to another.
