COVID vaccine ‘strongly recommended’ during pregnancy, Canadian doctors say

A doctor uses a hand-held Doppler probe on a pregnant woman to measure the heartbeat of the fetus, Dec. 17, 2021, in Jackson, Miss. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rogelio V. Solis

TORONTO — Canada’s gynecologists say COVID-19 vaccination “remains safe and strongly recommended” during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada issued the assurance Wednesday, a day after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- a longtime anti-vaccine activist -- declared the shot is no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women south of the border.

Pregnant women who become infected with COVID-19 are at higher risk of severe illness requiring hospitalization and intensive care than women who are not pregnant, the SOGC said.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine also helps protect against serious complications associated with the virus, such as preterm birth, it said.

“We have mounting, increasing scientific evidence about the impact of COVID-19 infection or other respiratory viruses on pregnant people and how vaccination does reduce that,” Dr. Darine El-Chaar, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at The Ottawa Hospital said in an interview.

El-Chaar, who was also speaking on behalf of the SOGC, said pregnant women remain a priority population for COVID vaccination in Canada and that the shot also provides some immunity against the virus for the baby.

Kennedy’s move to discontinue the shot in the U.S. is not based on any medical evidence, she said.

“There’s been no study, there’s been no clinical trial, no follow-up studies that have suggested any adverse outcomes or impact from COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant populations or infants ... that would scientifically influence the decision made by the authorities in the U.S.,” she said.

Citing “an age of growing misinformation and disinformation,” the SOGC urged women and health-care providers to rely on “evidence-based science and clinical expertise” to make vaccine decisions.

El-Chaar said that it was important for the group to issue a statement to reassure pregnant women in Canada who see U.S. misinformation on the news or in social media.

Pregnant women should get a COVID-19 shot, especially if they had their last vaccination more than six months ago, she said.

“I talk about ‘one vaccine, two lives.’ You’re protecting the mom and the baby,” El-Chaar said.

-- With files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.