'A gap to close': Pregnant Ontarians still lag behind in COVID-19 vaccination rates, despite higher risk from virus
When Holland Landing resident Cyndi Brown found out in April that she was pregnant, she was at first hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Immediately, I started thinking, am I going to get the vaccine or not?” Brown told CTV News Toronto. She wasn’t anti-vax, per se, she said, but she certainly wasn’t sure.
“I felt, if there were going to be any adverse reactions toward the fetus, I don’t know how I would forgive myself.”
But after speaking with her doctor and learning more about the mRNA vaccine, Brown came to the conclusion that the benefits outweighed any undescribed risk.
“It was a scary decision to make,” Brown said. “But I made it because I was being told all the time, it’s worse to catch COVID-19, unvaccinated, being pregnant.”
Brown was among a sizeable group of pregnant Ontarians hesitant to get immunized against the virus; despite being classified as “highest-risk,” and warned against a higher chance of hospitalization, need for critical care, premature delivery and even death, pregnant individuals still have a relatively low rate of COVID-19 vaccination.
Only 60 per cent of pregnant patients in Ontario were fully vaccinated as of Oct. 3, according to the ICES COVID-19 dashboard—much lower than the 81 per cent of the general eligible population at that time.
“It is certainly quite a bit lower than full coverage in the general population,” said Dr. Deshayne Fell, associate professor with the University of Ottawa’s School of Epidemiology and Public Health.
“We know that we still have a gap to close, and we know that it’s a really important gap to close because the risks of getting COVID-19 in pregnancy are real,” Dr. Jennifer Blake, CEO of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) said Wednesday.
Holland Landing resident Cyndi Brown was initially hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 while pregnant, but decided that the benefits outweighed any risk
Ontario’s Ministry of Health recommends COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible for people in any stage of pregnancy, warning that infection while expecting can be severe.
“If you are pregnant and you get COVID-19, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy when the lungs are already being compressed by your belly, you are going to have a much tougher time with any respiratory infection,” Blake said. “Your life is at greater risk.”
According to figures released Monday, one in five of the most critically-ill COVID-19 patients in the U.K. were unvaccinated pregnant women. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued an urgent health advisory recommending the vaccine to pregnant patients, because barely a quarter of pregnant Americans had received any doses of the vaccine while expecting.
Toronto family medicine obstetrics provider Dr. Tali Bogler, who co-founded the social media platform Pandemic Pregnancy Guide, stresses that that data support the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.
“We have large data sets, almost 80,000 individuals who have received the vaccine during their pregnancy,” Bogler said. “Some of these babies are now six months of age, and overall there are no red flags in terms of safety issues in terms of the pregnancy itself, leading to more miscarriages or pre-term births, or any congenital abnormalities in the children.”
Now 33 weeks pregnant, Cyndi Brown is thankful she chose to be immunized in her first trimester.
“It amazes me that I was even hesitant in the first place, because he’s fine, he’s absolutely fine,” she said of her baby. “I’m so relieved, because now antibodies will be passed onto him.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes end tenure in the desert with raucous atmosphere before move
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.