Niagara Public Health and the Vaccine Task Force are trying to get through to pregnant women, as the region is well below the provincial average in vaccinating pregnant women.
Officials are urging residents who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as vaccine uptake among those groups in Niagara remains low.
Niagara is currently seventh lowest out of 34 health units across Ontario, with only 57% of pregnant individuals with a first dose of COVID-19, and only 49% having received a second dose.
“Pregnant persons are at much greater risk of being hospitalized or put on a ventilator than others of their same age. When it happens, it is doubly awful because not only is the mother’s life threatened, but so is the unborn child’s. Thankfully, we have very effective and safe vaccines that can almost completely eliminate these heart-breaking outcomes”. If you are pregnant or around someone who is pregnant, let’s get vaccinated and prevent such tragedies.” – Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Medical Officer of Health (Acting)
"I believe that vaccinating pregnant women against COVID-19 is the best way to protect them and their unborn babies against the potentially devastating effects of this virus. Pregnant women in Niagara should not be put at greater risk than others in the province and our Task Force wishes to do all it can to ensure they have all the accurate and reliable information they need to make an informed choice regarding COVID-19 vaccination." – Dr. David Dec, Chair, Community Coordination Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccination