Hartlepool hospital trust chiefs concerned over number of pregnant women catching Covid

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust’s gynaecology and maternity team have expressed concern at the number of unvaccinated pregnant women contracting the virus posing a serious risk to themselves and to their babies.

Steve Wild, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the trust, added: “We are certainly seeing a lot of pregnant women with COVID, mostly asymptomatic so they were unaware they have the virus.

“There is a lot of misinformation about the vaccine doing the rounds on social media, so I would advise any pregnant woman to discuss it with their midwife, consultant or GP.”

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists say that around 200 pregnant women were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 last week (July 25-30).

Steph El-Malak, head of midwifery services at the trust, said: “COVID-19 is clearly a serious risk to both mum and baby.

“It could even result in a premature delivery as we may have no choice but to induce the birth.

“The vaccine is a personal choice but I would suggest the risks of contracting COVID-19 massively outweigh any concerns about the safety of the vaccine.”

The royal college also said 4,000 pregnant women in Scotland and 130,000 pregnant women in the USA have had the vaccine, without any adverse effects being reported.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued an information bulletin aimed at pregnant women which can be read online.

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