On Thursday, the government announced that it will be possible to receive the booster vaccine 5 months after the second dose of Biontech or Moderna. From January the gap will reduce to just 4 months. However, for some pregnant women, it is too late for the additional protection. RTL’s Raphaelle Dickes asks if Luxembourg should prioritise pregnant women for the booster, as is the case in the UK.
Isabelle Henschen, who is expecting a baby boy in January, received her second dose of the vaccine in August. Four months have now passed, but the law won’t change the gap required between the second dose and the booster until January - coincidentally, around the time of Henschen’s due date, when she will be expected to deliver her baby without the additional protection of the booster. Understandably, she is concerned.
Catching Covid during pregnancy increases the risk of complications. A French study which looked at 250,000 women who gave birth during the first wave of Covid, between January and June 2020, showed that coronavirus could cause issues such as bleeding during birth, pre-eclampsia, premature labour and more. 874 of the women featured in the study had a confirmed Covid infection.
Dr Pit Duschinger, president of the Luxembourg gynaecologist association, said there had been cases of pregnant Covid patients with severe complications in Luxembourg already. But he added that expectant mothers who had been vaccinated showed significantly fewer complications during an infection, both for the mother and unborn child.
Dr Duschinger said he recommended the vaccine be administered during pregnancy, but that it also did not have any impact on fertility for those attempting to conceive. He remarked that many such claims were circulating out of fear, but that they were unfounded. Statistics sourced from studies in larger countries showed there were no differences noted between babies born to vaccinated mothers, and babies with unvaccinated mothers.
The booster represents vital protection for pregnant women, continued Dr Duschinger. He said that although he could not answer the question as to whether pregnant women should be prioritised for the jab, he certainly felt it was an issue worth discussing.
The ball currently lies in the court of the Ministry of Health and the Superior Council of Infectious Diseases. RTL were unable to ascertain the Ministry of Health’s official position on the matter at the time of reporting.
Report in Luxembourgish.
