PREGNANT women should not take Moderna’s Covid vaccine, the World Health Organization has warned.
Only if an expectant mum is at high risk of catching the virus should she take it, the UN agency advised.
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The UK has secured a deal for 17 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, but it won’t be available until the spring.
The WHO wrote on its website today “the use of this vaccine in pregnant women is currently not recommended, unless they are at risk of high exposure (e.g. health workers)”.
It said the advice stood despite pregnancy “putting women at a higher risk of severe Covid-19”.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) “pregnant women are at no greater risk of becoming seriously unwell” if they catch the coronavirus.
Pregnant and lactating women were excluded from Moderna’s vaccine clinical trials, and so there is no safety data to prove it is safe for them.
Vaccine clinical trials typically avoid recruiting participants who are pregnant or breastfeeding until the vaccine has been shown to be safely tolerated in people who are not pregnant.
WHO director of immunization Kate O’Brien said on Tuesday that clinical trials of the Moderna vaccine were needed on pregnant women.
“There is no reason to think there could be a problem in pregnancy, we are just acknowledging the data is not there at the moment,” she said.
The trials for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines – which are being deployed in the UK – also did not involve mums-to-be.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the government on the vaccine deployment strategy, said pregnant women should not receive either jab being rolled out in the UK.
But the JCVI did a U-turn at the end of December and is now taking a risk-based approach, based on evidence it did not discuss.
The JCVI said pregnant women who are at high risk of exposure to the virus should consider the jab – in line with WHO guidance.
However, it also said women who have serious medical conditions should also weigh up the benefits of taking the vaccine.
This is because their underlying condition may put them at high risk of severe Covid-19, more so than problems that could arise from the vaccine.
On top of this, breastfeeding women can also now receive a vaccine.
But RCOG says women should be advised that there is a lack of safety data for vaccinations in breastfeeding.
When the Moderna vaccine was later approved on January 8, the same approach was applied.
The UK’s medicine regulator, the MHRA, said: “The Moderna vaccine should only be considered for use in pregnancy when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and baby.
“Women should discuss the benefits and risks of having the vaccine with their healthcare professional and reach a joint decision based on individual circumstances.
“Women who are breastfeeding can also be given the vaccine after a discussion with their healthcare professional.”
The NHS offers women the whooping cough vaccine when they are pregnant to give the baby immunity when they are born, as well as the flu vaccine in winter.
If a vaccine uses a live version of the virus, a pregnant woman is usually advised to wait until after the baby is born.
This is because there’s a potential risk that live vaccines could cause the unborn baby to become infected.
None of the vaccines being used in the UK contain the live coronavirus. But others in the future may do.
Who can’t get a Covid vaccine?
People who have a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of vaccines have been advised to avoid them.
But those with allergies to food can receive the jab, after further investigations.
At this time there is very limited data on vaccination in teenagers, with no information on younger children – as they were not included in clinical trials.
Therefore the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines – and later that from Moderna – can only be given to those over the age of 18.
The JCVI advises that only those children at very high risk of exposure or serious outcomes – such as older children with severe neuro-disabilities that require residential care – should be offered vaccination.
