coronavirus pandemic

CDC Issues Urgent Alert: Pregnant Women Need the COVID-19 Vaccine

A total of 161 pregnant women have died of COVID, the CDC said

FILE - In this March 29, 2021 file photo, a worker readies syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Metairie, La. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Wednesday, Aug. 11. The advice comes as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. see disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday issued its strongest guidance to date urging pregnant women to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The guidance comes as more than a quarter million cases of COVID in pregnant women have been reported, 22,000 of whom were hospitalized, according to the CDC.

A total of 161 pregnant women have died of COVID, the CDC said, with 22 deaths in August alone. Yet, less than a third of pregnant women have been vaccinated, the agency reported.

In a dramatic overruling, the CDC's top official approved the recommendation of booster shots for Americans who have already received 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. NBC News medical contributor Dr. Kavita Patel says her practice is ready to administer a 3rd shot to those who want it - between 6 to 9 months after receiving their 2nd dose.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

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