MOBILE, Ala. — A growing number of expectant mothers on the Gulf Coast are testing positive for COVID-19, prompting alarm from local physicians who say vaccination remains the best protection for both mother and baby.
Dr. Ann Payne-Johnson, a family medicine physician at USA Health, called the trend ‘100 percent a crisis.’ She said some pregnant patients who contracted the virus have died before they could meet their newborns.
According to the CDC, only about 20 percent of pregnant women had received at least one vaccine dose as of the report. Payne-Johnson said much of the reluctance stems from fear of side effects or complications for the pregnancy or the baby.
‘There is a lot of vaccine refusal with pregnant patients because they’re afraid of potential side effects,’ she said, adding that she has seen the worst outcomes firsthand at USA Health. In cases she described, the babies survived but will grow up without their mothers.
Payne-Johnson emphasized that the vaccine is the surest way for expectant mothers to protect themselves and their children. She noted that studies suggest infants can receive some antibodies when the mother is vaccinated, protection a newborn cannot get directly.
The CDC says the vaccine is safe at any point during pregnancy and also recommends it for those who are breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant.