Why Pregnant People Should Be in Covid-19 Vaccine Trials

The default for vaccine clinical trials has long been to exclude pregnant people due to concern about risks. But some medical experts tell writer Anna Nowogrodzki that the thinking is outdated, and people who are pregnant should be included in late-stage vaccine studies. “The maternal and fetal risks of Covid during pregnancy are much higher than any vaccine,” says David Baud, the head of obstetric service at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Ideally, pregnant people would be enrolled in phase 3 clinical trials. At that stage, the vaccines have already undergone the safety and dosing testing from phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. Read more about the thinking below.

Pregnant People Are Not in Covid-19 Vaccine Trials — and That’s a Problem