Photo by AP/Rogelio V. Solis
Fetal deaths have doubled among unvaccinated pregnant women who suffer COVID-19 infections, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said during a Mississippi State Department of Health press conference today.
“We’ve identified 72 fetal deaths associated with pregnant moms who had COVID, which is twice the background rate of what we would’ve expected” prior to the pandemic, he said.
A “fetal death,” also known as a “stillbirth,” refers to deaths that occur after 20 weeks gestation. The statistic does not include miscarriages, which are deaths that occur at 20 weeks or earlier.
“My daughter has recently been pregnant, and we were grateful to have her deliver a healthy baby, but she was vaccinated during her pregnancy,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said today. “… I would encourage anybody out there who’s pregnant, if you have any questions about it, talk to your doctor, but we encourage you to please get vaccinated.”