ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 vaccine has been recommended for pregnant people (hapu mama) in Aotearoa New Zealand since June 2021. We surveyed people birthing in a tertiary hospital regarding their vaccination status and reasons for this. There were 74% (142/191) of pregnant people who were fully vaccinated. Motivators for vaccination included protection against Covid-19 and antibody transfer to the baby (pepe). Unvaccinated participants worried about vaccine safety. Concerns were raised about the change in official advice without well-communicated reasons for the change. Future vaccine and booster rollouts must be delivered equitably and hapu mama must be a priority group.Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. © 2022 The Authors. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 vaccine has been recommended for pregnant people in Aotearoa since June 2021. People birthing in November 2021 were eligible for vaccination while pregnant. Despite recommendations, pregnant people may have lower rates of COVID vaccination than the general population. We aimed to assess vaccination rates during pregnancy in Wellington and contributors to vaccination status. Methods: For three weeks from November 2021, people birthing at Wellington Hospital were surveyed regarding their vaccination status and reasons for this. Results: 191/206 eligible people (92.7%) consented to participate. 142 (74.4%) were fully vaccinated, 20 (10.5%) had one dose and 29 (15.2%) were unvaccinated. Main motivators for vaccination were to transfer antibodies to their baby and protection against COVID-19. In contrast, unvaccinated participants' reasons were vaccine safety and delaying until post-natal. Both groups expressed concerns regarding changing official advice without well communicated reasons for the change. Maori participants were less likely to be vaccinated (11/18;61.1%) than non- Maori (131/173;75.7%) (p = 0.06). Conclusion: Pregnant people were less likely to be vaccinated than the general population;the milestone of 90% of eligible people being vaccinated was achieved in Wellington in November 2021. Ethnicity inequities in the population rollout are reflected in our data. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated participants' decisions were influenced by wanting the best for their baby. Messaging to pregnant people must include the benefits of vaccination during pregnancy for babies. As ongoing COVID boosters are likely, we must ensure that inevitable changes in vaccine policy are accompanied by explanation of reasons for changes.