Korea was the only OECD country that advised against Covid-19 vaccination for pregnant people, global data showed.
According to the Covid-19 Maternal Immunization Tracker (COMIT) operated by the Johns Hopkins University, Korea was the only country that did not recommend Covid-19 vaccination for pregnant women among 38 member states of the OECD as of Thursday.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) excluded pregnant women from the vaccine rollout program, saying vaccination is not recommended for them “until clinical research results on safety and efficacy become available.”
However, other 36 OECD members either recommended vaccination or permitted it for certain groups such as pregnant healthcare workers or those with underlying diseases. Slovakia did not recommend vaccination for pregnant people but allowed exceptions.
One hundred countries have partially or entirely permitted Covid-19 vaccination for pregnant people, including 37 OECD members except for Korea.
Twenty-eight countries, including the U.S., Canada, the UK., India, and Australia, explicitly recommended some or all pregnant women to get a Covid-19 jab.
Forty countries, including Japan, France, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, allow pregnant women to get the vaccination if they want to, and 32 countries, including Germany, Italy, Brazil, and Chile, permitted Covid-19 vaccines for pregnant healthcare workers or those with underlying diseases.
However, Korea was one of 33 countries, along with China, Cuba, and the United Arab Emirates, to limit pregnant women’s access to Covid-19 vaccines, COMIT showed.
The WHO released the interim guidelines on June 2, recommending Covid-19 vaccination in pregnant women when the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommended that all pregnant Americans be vaccinated against Covid-19.
“If a pregnant woman contracts the Covid-19 virus, she has an increased risk of progressing to a severe disease and a higher chance of premature birth or miscarriage,” the CDC said. “There were no significant differences in adverse reactions between pregnant and non-pregnant women after Covid-19 vaccination.”
On July 30, the Korean government announced setting up a fourth-quarter vaccination plan for pregnant women, children, and adolescents aged 18 or younger.