Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccination for People who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding

The archived webinar is now available. Click here to view webinar recording.  CEU’s are now closed.

The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership and West Virginia Immunization Network were pleased to co-host this webinar for healthcare providers and public health professionals in West Virginia on COVID-19 vaccination for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Pregnant people with COVID-19 are more likely to be hospitalized, be admitted to the intensive care unit, require mechanical ventilation, and die from the illness than their non-pregnant peers. Severe COVID-19 during pregnancy may also put the infant at risk for complications, such as preterm birth. In August 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) both updated their recommendations and now strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant and lactating individuals.

This webinar will describe the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant and lactating people and the role of vaccination in preventing severe disease and death in these individuals.

Webinar Objectives: 

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on pregnant and lactating women.
• Describe the recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant and breastfeeding people.
• Describe the ongoing MOMI-VAX investigation that is underway.

Related materials and links:

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) COVID-19 Vaccination Considerations for Obstetric–Gynecologic Care
• ACOG Coronavirus (COVID-19), Pregnancy, and Breastfeeding FAQs for Patients
• CDC Toolkit for Pregnant People and New Parents
• Keep Baby Healthy and Safe: Take These Steps During the COVID19 Pandemic
• Pregnant or just had a baby? Take these steps to protect yourself from COVID-19
• Breastfeeding Medicine Journal Article: Maternal and Child SX After COVID Vaccine Among BF Mothers.2021
• Vaccines & Pregnancy: Top 7 things you need to know (CDC)
• CDC Caring for your baby if you have COVID19

Featured Presenter:

Richard H. Beigi, MD, MSc., President, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital

Dr. Richard H. Beigi is the President of UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital and Professor of Reproductive Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM), Department of OB/GYN/RS. Dr. Beigi is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist with Magee Womens Hospital. He received his M.D. from the Hahnemann University School of Medicine, which is now the Drexel University College of Medicine. Dr. Beigi is a fellowship-trained specialist in Reproductive Infectious Diseases and is an active investigator in this area. In this capacity, he serves in an advisory and leadership role to numerous federal agencies and/or professional societies regarding infectious diseases in pregnancy and immunization including NIH, FDA, CDC, NVAC, ACOG, and NFID. He had remained an active and funded investigator in the topic of infectious disease prevention in pregnancy and is the co-chair for the NIH-led MOMI-VAX trial enrolling pregnant and postpartum women and their babies into an observational study of the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines.