The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is continuing to urge vaccinations as it reports the highest number of deaths during pregnancy seen in a single month during the pandemic, according to a health advisory released Wednesday.
The agency said 22 people died of COVID-19 during pregnancy in August, which was during the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. recorded 26,800 deaths and more than 4.2 million infections in August — the fourth-highest total since the start of the pandemic.
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The CDC said it is recommending “urgent action” to those pregnant, recently pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
“Data from the COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) in 2021 indicate that approximately 97% of pregnant people hospitalized (either for illness or for labor and delivery) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were unvaccinated,” the advisory says.
#HCPs: #COVID19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant.
— CDC (@CDCgov) September 28, 2021
Pregnant people are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people.
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The CDC reported as of Sept. 18, 2021, there were 31% of pregnant people who were fully vaccinated.
“The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people,’’ CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement in early August.
The agency also said back in August that those who were pregnant and tested positive for COVID-19 were at an increased risk for preterm birth.
For more information on the CDC’s findings, click here.