Respected Rockford Pediatrician to Expectant Mothers: Don’t Fear Covid Vaccine

If you're pregnant, Dr. Bill Renk, pediatrician with UW Health, shares exactly why you shouldn't be afraid to get the COVID 19 vaccine.

Unvaccinated and expecting can be a dangerous decision

Pregnant women are at higher risk for severe disease from the COVID-19 virus and right now, only 23% of expectant moms are vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For many, deciding to get the COVID-19 vaccine was a decision that didn't come quickly. For expectant mothers, the decision to get vaccinated is even tougher.

All the decisions we make are based, in part, on our risk exposure

Could something bad happen to me?

Could something bad happen to me AND my unborn child?

Those questions were asked and answered on The Steve Shannon Show during a conversation with UW Health pediatrician, Dr. Bill Renk.

A recent study, and there have been many, in search of how a pregnant woman getting the COVID-19 vaccine would affect her unborn child.

The study, done by NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that mothers-to-be who had either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine passed high levels of antibodies to their infants.

That means protection for babies in their first few months of life, a period when they are most at risk.

Antibodies passed on by mom if she had covid would not have the same protective power that would come from the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

This isn't the only good news that Dr. Renk shared. Listen to our 3-minute conversation with the doctor in the video clip below.

In short, in case you didn't hear that:

Researchers from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine discovered that 100% of 36 newborns tested at the time of birth had protective antibodies after their mothers had received the vaccines.

You could still be vaccinated and still get covid, but like Dr. Renk said, you'll likely suffer a lot less if you're vaccinated.