Anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination strategy for pregnant women in Japan

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a global concern. The recent introduction of vaccines has provided a reason for hope, but new problems, such as vaccine hesitancy, have arisen. One of the most important of these issues is the safety of vaccines for pregnant women. In this article, we collected worldwide indications for vaccination, including women who are pregnant or who wish to become pregnant, and reports of adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination. The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Japanese Society of Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology have published recommendations for the vaccination of pregnant women with a COVID-19 vaccine. The guidelines are as follows: (1) pregnant women should not be excluded from vaccination; (2) informed consent should be obtained before vaccination; (3) healthcare workers and pregnant women with complications such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity should be vaccinated preferentially; (4) vaccination should be avoided until 12 weeks of gestation during organogenesis; (5) spouse and family members should be vaccinated actively; and (6) nursing mothers are not particularly affected. This policy has been adopted in government guidelines. Additional efforts should be made to protect pregnant women from infection and severe illness with COVID-19 by eliminating vaccine hesitancy.