Pregnant women like me shouldn’t have to scramble to book a booster – we should be jumping the queue

The science has shown us time and time again the importance of the vaccine for pregnant women. So are we still being overlooked?

Pregnant women are being urged to get the Covid vaccine, but not currently prioritised for a booster jab, despite being at high-risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus.

My daughter was nine months old when the prime minister announced the first coronavirus lockdown, and although it was an awful time, I was thankful I wasn’t pregnant and facing the prospect of giving birth alone due to Covid restrictions.

Fast forward almost two years and I’m pregnant with my second child with some protection having had both covid jabs. However, despite the 20-month gap, nothing seems to have changed much for pregnant women.

Pregnant women are the only adult vulnerable group not prioritised for a booster even though other countries, including the United States, are prioritising pregnant women for it.

I can see no reasoning for this. Booster jabs have been available since September, yet three months later I’ve managed to book one – thanks to the fact they’re now open to anyone over the age of 18, not because I’m pregnant.

I was one of the lucky ones too, with the NHS booking website collapsing as millions desperately try to book their boosters, leaving vulnerable pregnant women left to compete with the mad scramble for protection. It’s totally unacceptable to expect women to queue for a booster either.

The organisation Pregnant then Screwed is urging the government to immediately change its guideline for pregnant women with an online petition and says failing to include them in the priority list is negligence.

So why are pregnant women being overlooked?

The science is there, it’s shown us time and time again the importance of the vaccine for pregnant women.

More than 600 babies were born prematurely in the first 17 months of the crisis and needed critical care after their mothers were hospitalised with Covid.

This year more than 1,000 pregnant women were admitted to hospital with Covid and around 98 per cent were unvaccinated. Experts have said repeatedly that there have been preventable admissions of women to intensive care and deaths.

If you’re admitted to hospital with Covid in pregnancy, there’s a one in 10 chance of being admitted to intensive care, and a one in five chance of having a preterm baby.

This is why pregnant women are being urged to get the vaccine. But take-up of the vaccine in pregnant women is as low as 15 per cent. Around 84,000 pregnant women in the UK have had a Covid jab, according to the Department of Health and Social Care, yet there are an estimated 700,000 women who are believed to be pregnant in England at any time.

At the start of the pandemic pregnant women were told not to get vaccinated and there have been reports of midwives still telling women not to get the jab. And until this weekend, the guidance from the UK Joint Committee for Immunisations and Vaccinations (JCVI) and the NHS was that only pregnant women who were 40 or over, or already classed as being clinically vulnerable, could get their boosters.

Now, anyone aged 18 and over can book a booster (if they manage to find an appointment), but there’s still no updated messaging for pregnant women.

This confusing messaging has been consistent throughout the pandemic and it is fuelling concerns over getting the vaccine, deterring more women from getting it, and putting more women, and babies, at risk.

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To add to the confusion, there are some reports of women being able to get their boosters at the same time as other routine scans and appointments, combined with other reports of heavily pregnant women being turned away from vaccine centres.

In comparison, I was emailed, called, and sent several texts about getting the flu jab - which I had last month - so why couldn’t I get the booster at the same time? It’s almost laughable that pregnant women are being urged to get the jab yet struggling to get the booster.

There have also been recommendations that pregnant women get their jabs and booster before their third trimester. This means that although it is safe to get each of them at any point, there is a rather short window to have it done.

Pregnancy is a deeply anxious time for many. You continually worry about the unknown and repeatedly question everything. But the pandemic has brought a new wave of worry for mothers with little to no reassurance from the government for them.

You’re exposed to a much higher risk of catching the virus while out and about, especially as many routine appointments are in hospitals and surgeries. At my last scan I saw countless people not wearing masks and very little sanitising or social distancing.

Pregnant women have been continually let down since the start of the pandemic. Not automatically allowing them to be prioritised for a booster is not only dangerous, it’s sending out further confusing messaging which could easily deter someone from getting it altogether.