Pregnant women put on priority vaccine list

Pregnant women are at heightened risk from Covid and should get vaccinated to protect themselves and their child, say UK experts.

The advisory group on vaccines, the JCVI, has put them on the priority list for jabs, similar to people with underlying health conditions.

Some mums-to-be have died from Covid and research shows higher rates of premature births link to infection.

Vaccines are safe to give in pregnancy and cut the risk of severe Covid.

Over the course of the pandemic, more pregnant women with COVID-19 are experiencing more severe disease, with more of those hospitalised with COVID-19 being admitted to intensive care.

The vast majority of those who have become very sick have been women who have not been vaccinated.

According to data from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System, between May and October 2021, there were:

Figures from August 2021 show vaccine uptake remains low - with 22% of pregnant women in England having had at least one jab.

Rates were lower in black and other ethnic minority groups.