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COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance for Pregnant Women Under Siege

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the respiratory illness season looms, states and clinicians are working to encourage pregnant patients to get COVID-19 vaccinations, despite the US Department of Health and Human Services no longer recommending it. Pregnancy itself is a risk factor for severe illness from COVID-19, and pregnant women are more vulnerable to developing complications, including preterm labor and stillbirth. Medical experts agree that getting the shot is safe and effective, but HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in May that the agency would no longer recommend it.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US Department of Health and Human Services no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccinations for pregnant women, citing studies that have been misinterpreted.
  • Pregnancy itself is a risk factor for severe illness from COVID-19, and pregnant women are more vulnerable to developing complications, including preterm labor and stillbirth.
  • Medical experts agree that getting the shot is safe and effective, but the federal shift puts the onus on state health agencies to ramp up vaccine guidance and outreach.
  • Clinicians and public health organizations are trying to dispel misinformation and make sure information reaches low-income people and people of color, who had higher maternal death rates during the pandemic.
  • During the first two years of the pandemic, the virus contributed to a quarter of maternal deaths, according to federal data.
  • Health groups urge insurers to cover COVID-19 shots for pregnant women, and some major insurers, such as CVS Caremark, have announced they will continue to cover the vaccine.
  • The federal government's new stance has upended a system that had been stable for a very long time, and will likely exacerbate existing maternal health disparities.
  • Black and Indigenous women died at higher rates during the pandemic, and the virus exacerbated existing racial disparities in maternal health.
  • Decades of data on racial disparities in maternal health are being dismissed by the administration, making it difficult for institutions to reach populations at greatest risk.
  • The politicization of the vaccine process is causing chaos, and some states have vaccine laws tied to the CDC's decisions.

Statistics:

  • Less than a third of eligible pregnant patients received COVID-19 shots in 2023-2024, according to survey data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Only 38% of pregnant patients received RSV shots for the 2023-2024 season.
  • Less than half (47%) of pregnant patients received flu shots.
  • 59% of pregnant patients received TDAP (whooping cough) vaccines.
  • COVID-19 cases have spiked in the summer and winter, and cases of RSV and the flu tend to peak in the winter months.
  • Black and Indigenous women died at higher rates during the pandemic, with a rate of 28 per 100,000 for Latina mothers in 2021, up from 12 per 100,000 in 2018.

Sources:

  • "Pregnant People and COVID-19" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/pregnant-people.html)
  • "HHS Justifies Decision to Stop Recommending COVID Shots During Pregnancy With Studies Supporting the Shots' Safety" by Politico (www.politico.com/news/2025/06/10/hhs-justifies-decision-to-stop-recommending-covid-shots-during-pregnancy-with-studies-supporting-the-shots-safety-00396523)
  • "Health Groups Urge Insurers to Cover COVID-19 Shots for Pregnant Women" by Stateline (stateline.org/2025/06/12/health-groups-urge-insurers-to-cover-covid-19-shots-for-pregnant-women/)
  • "Maternal Mortality Rates by Race and Ethnicity in 2021" by the Government Accountability Office (www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105871.pdf)
  • "Exposing the Myths: COVID-19 and Pregnancy" by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (www.smfm.org/mission-and-vision)

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