COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among pregnant people contacting a teratogen information service

Abstract

Pregnant people are at increased risk of severe illness from SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and are more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit, be put on a mechanical ventilator, and die, if infected. Having COVID‐19 during pregnancy also increases the risk of preterm delivery. Vaccination is a critical tool for controlling the COVID‐19 pandemic; however, to date, just over 30% of pregnant people in the United States have been vaccinated. It is important to identify any barriers to acceptance of the COVID‐19 vaccine among the pregnant population so that specific hesitancy concerns can be addressed. Our objective was to identify the proportion of pregnant people who are unsure or not planning to be vaccinated against COVID‐19 and collect information about their reasons for hesitancy. A questionnaire examining views on COVID‐19 vaccine interest was administered to 299 pregnant people who contacted MotherToBaby 3/1/21–7/23/21. Questions obtained information about the perception of COVID‐19 risk in pregnancy, interest in receiving a COVID‐19 vaccine while pregnant, and reasons for acceptance or hesitancy. Within the sample, 21% had already been vaccinated against COVID‐19, 43% were planning to get vaccinated, 9% were not planning to receive the vaccine, and 27% were undecided. Women who were not planning to get vaccinated and those that were undecided both said their concern was ‘not enough safety information for pregnancy’. Individuals aged 18–25, those who made less than $50,000/year, and those who lived in the Northeast were more likely to be hesitant. Based on these data, continued efforts to collect and communicate high‐quality and understandable information to pregnant people about vaccine safety should be a key priority in efforts to increase vaccine acceptance among this group.

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and social media on the behaviour of pregnant and lactating women towards vaccination: a scoping review

“…The most important reason for refusing COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is safety concerns, as described in 19 studies 22 24–27 30–32 36–46. These safety concerns include the assumption of potential harm to the baby and to the mother, both in the short and long term.…”

“…These safety concerns include the assumption of potential harm to the baby and to the mother, both in the short and long term. Other concerns include that there is not yet enough clinical trial data on COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy22 24 27 30 32 42 and that COVID-19 vaccines are seen as not being trustworthy because they were developed and approved rapidly 22 24 31 38. In Japan, mistrust in the government was determined as the only significant factor linked to vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women 38.…”

“…Demographic factors associated with better COVID-19 vaccine willingness are a higher level of education,22 23 32 33 36 38–40 42 43 45 48 49 being employed,31 32 40 49 having a higher income,22 24 33 42 43 47 48 older age,22–25 32 33 36 39 42 45 being in the third trimester of gestation,23 26 37 45 48 multiparity36 45 and living in an urban area 43 47–49. Other demographic factors linked to COVID-19 vaccine willingness are race and ethnicity 24 29 31 39 41 49.…”

COVID-19 Vaccination Status among Pregnant and Postpartum Women—A Cross-Sectional Study on More Than 1000 Individuals

“…This was mostly due to the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic while completing the data collection in the above-mentioned studies. Similarly, safety concerns and insufficient data were raised as one of the main reasons for rejection [ 5 , 8 , 27 , 29 ]. In the majority of available cohorts, resembling risk factors for vaccine rejection were mentioned—less formal education/lower socioeconomic status and multiparity are the most common ones [ 5 , 13 , 28 ].…”

A comment on ‘COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among pregnant people’

“…Dear Editor, We would like to share ideas on the publication 'COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among pregnant people contacting a teratogen information service' (Perrotta et al, 2022). Women who were not planning to get immunized and those who were not sure expressed concern about there being 'not enough safety information for pregnancy', and those who were between the ages of 18 and 25, making less than $50,000 per year, and living in the Northeast were more likely to be hesitant, according to Perrotta et al (2022).…”