Xunta Remembers the Benefits of Flu and COVID Vaccines for Pregnant Women

Xunta insists on recommending that pregnant women be vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19, as this will help protect women and their babies.

According to the Ministry of Health’s General Directorate of Public Health, pregnancy is a risk factor for complications, whether from covid-19 or the flu, which can be serious. These complications can affect both mother and fetus and may result in the need for antibiotics that are not recommended during pregnancy. Additionally, babies are at greater risk for these diseases due to their immature immune systems.

The Galician vaccination program therefore follows the recommendations of all international, national and regional organizations, which recommend vaccination with this vaccine at any time during pregnancy and postpartum.

Vaccination Appointment Request

All pregnant women or women who have given birth within the past six months and have not been vaccinated can request an appointment through the Sergas Móvil app.

Because COVID-19 and influenza vaccines do not contain live viruses, they are safe for both mother and fetus, as the mother passes protective antibodies to her fetus through the placenta.

Both vaccines can be given on the same day. In fact, public health authorities recommend doing this whenever possible. In addition, there is no need to wait for any interval to receive the pertussis vaccine (dTpa), which also applies during pregnancy (from the 27th week, preferably between the 27th and 28th weeks).

The only specificity to consider about getting vaccinated against covid-19 is that pregnant women must wait three months before getting vaccinated against the new XBB.1.5 strain if they already have the disease or have been previously vaccinated.