Centre for Health Protection, DH【Pregnant/ lactating women and COVID-19 vaccines 】

Pregnant women have an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 if they are infected, compared with non-pregnant women of a similar age. COVID-19 also increases the risk of preterm birth by 2-fold and the extended perinatal mortality (i.e. the sum of stillbirth and neonatal death in the first 28 days of life) by about 50%.

COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against severe illness from COVID-19. Studies also indicate that vaccine-generated antibodies are present in umbilical cord blood and breast milk, showing the transfer of antibodies from mothers to fetuses and newborns.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pregnant women should have access to WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL)-approved vaccines, including Comirnaty (BioNTech) and CoronaVac (Sinovac). Increasing evidence suggests that the benefits of vaccination during pregnancy outweigh potential risks whenever there is ongoing community transmission of the virus. The WHO also recommends the use of COVID-19 vaccines in lactating women as in other adults.

The Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (HKCOG) advises that women who are planning pregnancy, in the immediate postpartum, or breastfeeding should also be COVID-19 vaccinated, unless contraindicated due to underlying medical reasons. Pregnant women may wish to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination with their clinicians, including the latest evidence on its safety and which vaccines they should receive. While the efficacy and safety data of the CoronaVac (Sinovac) vaccine will likely accumulate following its use, the Comirnaty (BioNTech) vaccine remains as the preferred choice of vaccine for pregnant and lactating women by the HKCOG, based on the available published data.

The Comirnaty vaccine is not contraindicated in pregnant and lactating women. Meanwhile, the CoronaVac vaccine has recently updated its product insert, and pregnant and lactating women are not on the contraindication list starting from 13 February 2022. (product insert of CoronaVac: https://bit.ly/3JYkuDA )

Locally, there are reported cases of COVID-19 infection among pregnant women. Pregnant and lactating women are encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible.