Pregnant women remain mostly ineligible for Pfizer vaccine, despite a change in the official health advice to recommend they be offered the jab at any stage of pregnancy because their risk of suffering severe outcomes from Covid is higher.
In June, experts from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi), which advises the government on the vaccination program, declared comprehensive data from overseas had not identified any safety concerns with giving Pfizer to pregnant women. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstericians and Gyneacologists (Ranzcog) backed that.
As a result, Ranzcog and Atagi recommended in a joint statement that “pregnant women are routinely offered Pfizer mRNA vaccine at any stage of pregnancy”.
“This is because the risk of severe outcomes from Covid-19 is significantly higher for pregnant women and their unborn baby,” the statement said.
More than a month later and with outbreaks since occurring in Victoria and New South Wales, and smaller outbreaks in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland, the federal government has not changed vaccine eligibility criteria to include pregnant women as a priority group.
Ash Hunter, who lives in Victoria, said his pregnant wife had “a lot of trouble” trying to get vaccinated.
“The automated booking systems did not have a ‘category’ for her, no one on the phone knew anything, and even [at] the clinic on the day there was ignorance about the official Atagi advice,” he said.
“But she kept pushing, and backed up by a letter from a doctor, eventually got it.”
Some pregnant women say it should not be so hard to get vaccinated. A change.org petition has been launched calling for pregnant women to be officially included as a priority group to make access clearer.
Not eligible so far in Vic. Currently in quarantine in QLD, public health nurse was surprised I hadn’t had one. Suggested it was being given to pregnant women in QLD.
— Alice Pryor (@alice_pryor) July 8, 2021
“Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to protecting one of our most vulnerable populations to Covid-19: pregnant women and the children they carry,” the petition states. “However, pregnancy is still not a criterion of eligibility to get the Pfizer vaccine in Australia.”
In a statement, Queensland said it follows Atagi advice, but also said it was only offering Pfizer to pregnant women if they were eligible to be vaccinated under one of the other priority group categories, for example being a health worker.
Queensland has also issued a statement on pregnancy and Covid-19 vaccination. Women are reporting access to the vaccine depends on the GP, the Pfizer supply of that GP, and whether the GP is following the Atagi advice or the federal government eligibility criteria.
NSW Health did not answer questions about whether any pregnant women had been infected with Covid-19 during the current outbreak, and referred questions about access to Pfizer for pregnant women to the federal government. An obstetrics clinic in Wollongong is among the exposure sites.
A spokesperson for the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, did not directly respond on whether there were plans to officially include pregnant women in priority categories.
“Pregnant women are encouraged to discuss the decision in relation to timing of vaccination with their health professional, but are able to have it administered at either primary care sites offering Pfizer or through sites managed by the jurisdictions.
“All Pfizer sites have been encouraged to facilitate the vaccination of pregnant women who are not otherwise eligible, if they have capacity,” he said.
In a recent webinar attended by Ranzcog president Vijay Roach was asked whether Ranzcog was lobbying the federal government to include pregnant women as a high-risk priority group.
Roach told the webinar the discussion with government should be “had quietly” and “not by yelling and shouting in the media”.
My OB passed on ATAGI advice that it’s recommended for pregnant women but noted if you’re not in the age bracket you can’t get yet. Haven’t been offered it at any point.
— Hannah Pierce (@hannahpierce01) July 8, 2021
“I can reassure you that … Ranzcog is definitely talking to the government and I think we have sent a clear message by recommending that there is value in this for this group of people for their health,” Roach said. He added that some pregnant women would be eligible anyway because they met other criteria.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnant women who have Covid-19 appear more likely to develop respiratory complications requiring intensive care than women who aren’t pregnant, and are also more likely to be placed on a ventilator.
When the ranzcog advice came out in June I checked online and found that Tas had opened eligibility to include pregnant people so I’m booked in but there’s a bit of a wait so I haven’t had it yet. I don’t know if I would have been offered it if I haven’t done it myself.
— Gilly Haines (@gillyreads) July 8, 2021
Associate Prof Michelle Giles, an infectious diseases physician who specialises in infections in pregnancy and maternal immunisation, is a member of Atagi and spoke at the same webinar as Roach. She said she heard frustration from pregnant women about access “every single day”.
“And it’s not just among pregnant women, it’s among other people who are having difficulty accessing the vaccine,” she said. “So there’s eligibility and there’s access, but I think that the important thing to keep in mind is that in many parts of Australia many pregnant women are actually eligible depending on what the decisions are made by the jurisdiction. The vaccine program is completely open – it hasn’t got priority groups – in the Northern Territory. So if you’re a pregnant woman in the Northern Territory and you want to be vaccinated, you are eligible there. In Western Australia they have reduced their eligibility down to 30-year-olds and above.”
