While many Americans are lining up to get a COVID-19 vaccination, expectant mothers have been advised to sit this round of vaccines out until more research is done on the effects they may have on pregnant women. The good news: That research is finally underway, and results of the studies being conducted could come as early as the fall.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Thursday that pregnant participants in large scale clinical trials focused on assessing the safety and efficacy of their COVID-19 vaccines have begun receiving shots, CBS reports. Their goal is to enroll close to 4,000 pregnant women globally in the trial. The results, if positive, will aim to provide some reassurance to expectant moms that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe for them and their unborn babies. The trials are said to be completed by January 2023.
“Now that we are seeing successful initial implementation of vaccine campaigns with BNT162b2 [the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine] across the globe, it is time to take the next step and extend our clinical program to other vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, to potentially protect both them and future generations,” BioNTech said in a statement announcing the news.
Those pregnant women receiving the first trial doses will be those between 27 and 34 weeks pregnant. More advanced trials focused on women between 24 and 34 weeks pregnant will follow.
While Pfizer and BioNTech are the first to get moving on these trials, both AstraZeneca Plc. and Johnson & Johnson are planning to run their own trials in coming months.
