At least three pregnant women who have recently been hospitalized with coronavirus-related complications have contracted the British variant of the pathogen, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday evening.
Health workers treating COVID-19 patient at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer
(Photo: AFP)
At the request of Dr. Sharon Elrai-Price, chief of public health services at the Department of Health, several samples taken from the women were sent to the Department’s Central Virology Laboratory at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, where preliminary results of DNA sequencing showed the presence of the mutation. .
Meanwhile, healthcare providers announced on Tuesday evening that the national COVID-19 vaccination scheme will soon be expanded to include pregnant women.
Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) reported receiving many inquiries from women seeking vaccination over the past day as reports of COVID-positive mothers admitted in serious condition increased.
The Ministry of Health has issued a statement emphasizing that the vaccine does not pose any threat to pregnant women.
Citizens are lining up to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Tel Aviv
“According to experts there is no biological mechanism that could harm the mother or the fetus,” the statement said. “Women who received the vaccine without knowing they were pregnant reported no abnormal effects during pregnancy compared to their unvaccinated counterparts.”
Pregnant women had not previously been included in the vaccine priority groups and could not make an appointment to receive the injection. In the past, Ministry of Health regulations have even banned the injection during pregnancy because it had not been tested on pregnant women during clinical studies.
Vials of COVID-19 vaccine
(Photo: AFP)
In the meantime, a 35-year-old, seven-month pregnant woman was previously transferred to Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, as doctors fight for her life. She gave birth by Caesarean section and is now in a very serious condition in hospital. The baby is in a stable condition.
A five-month pregnant woman was hospitalized in Sheba’s intensive care unit and another woman was transferred to the intensive care unit at Laniado Hospital in Netanya.
Four pregnant women with coronavirus have been hospitalized at the Maayanei Hayeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak in recent days, one of them has given birth. The four required respiratory support but were not given oxygen.