[Corona Behind] "I'm pregnant. Can I get a vaccine?"

※ 'Corona Behind' is a report by Park Soo-jin, a reporter from the Life and Culture Department of SBS Press Headquarters, who is running at the forefront of the Corona 19 coverage.

Once a week, reporters Park's articles and thoughts that were not included in the article are released to readers.

[Editor's Note]

Once, I made a reservation and then canceled it, and once again, I gave up at the last stage of the reservation.

When I got a text message saying that the quarantine pass had only one week left, I was even more nervous.

In fact, there was no problem with 'Single Food', but I had to go to the coverage every day, and since I was in charge of the corona issue, I had to visit public health centers, screening clinics, and hospitals, so I was worried about possible infection.

I heard the government's explanation that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, and while I was working to communicate and communicate the results of related research and statistics to the public, it was not easy to make a choice when I became pregnant.

The words 'it's okay, there is no problem' did not easily erase the concern of 'maybe, maybe'.

I went to Mom's Cafe for the first time and did a search.

There were people who were struggling like me, and there were various opinions of 'should be right' and 'shouldn't be right'.

(I could also see 'suspicions' and 'theories' that are different from the facts or have not been proven, and of unknown sources, being recognized as true.) One comment that was left caught my eye.

"Can't you stand ten months for a child?"

My mind is complicated.

3rd vaccination period of 'corona reporter' 6 months pregnant

I received the 3rd dose vaccine on January 26th, 18 weeks pregnant.

It was five days before the expiration date of the quarantine pass.

Since the first and second vaccinations were completed before pregnancy, the level of concern must have been less than that of pregnant women who were not vaccinated.

There were two triggers that put an end to the time of hesitation.

There was a case in which an unvaccinated mother who was confirmed with Corona gave a stillbirth, and after that, the fetus was confirmed to be infected with Corona.

During the interview process, I had an opportunity to talk to my husband, and the sadness that came through the phone was very painful.

Another trigger was when a close friend received a call saying that even a baby who had not passed the age was infected one after another after being confirmed.

I had a 3rd dose with Pfizer scheduled for the remainder of the vaccine.

When I went to the hospital and filled out the pre-screening form, the first question was, "Are you pregnant?"

I answered 'yes' and submitted it, but the nurse asked again.

Nurse: "Are you sure you're pregnant?"

Reporter: "Yes. Why?"

Nurse: "Ah, this is the first time I've seen anyone answering 'yes' here."

I had the 3rd dose with Pfizer, and fortunately, there were no symptoms other than pain at the injection site.

Still, I couldn't put my mind to it.

The day after the vaccination, on the way to the coverage, there was a moment when I felt like I was being stabbed in my right stomach to the point of making a 'evil' sound.

Last Friday, I went to the hospital for a checkup.

I asked my doctor.

"I got the third vaccine after the last treatment. Is there anything wrong with the baby?"

This answer came back.

"These days, mothers who have just given birth get a lot of calls. 'My husband and my family have all been confirmed, would it be okay if I got the vaccine right now?'"

Hearing that the baby in the womb is growing well for the number of weeks, I was relieved a little.

Concerns about pregnant women, how much 'sympathy' does the government have?

The reason I shared my personal story for a long time is not to say, 'You must get vaccinated.'

I wanted to talk about the worries of pregnant women who can't replace them with the 'task' of corona vaccination.

There are unvaccinated pregnant women around me who continue to work while eating lunch alone in the car every day, and there are pregnant women who are still unvaccinated even after giving birth safely because of fears that they may not be in the process of breastfeeding.

The 'choice' was different for me who received the vaccine, and these friends who have not yet received the vaccine, but the 'reason of choice' is the same.

Even the government's explanation that 'according to the results of overseas studies, the incidence of adverse reactions between pregnant women and non-pregnant vaccines is similar', it seems difficult to give great reassurance in a situation where there are clearly people who complain of adverse reactions after vaccination.

Another factor that reduces credibility is that different hospitals give different answers to pregnant women who ask for advice about vaccination.

The government guideline only states, 'Be sure to check the vaccination within 12 weeks first,' but if you look at the reviews of pregnant women, some hospitals say, "It's better to get it after 20 weeks so that you can find out if there is a problem." It's better to get it right after giving birth," she said.

In my case, at the hospital where I first received treatment, I was told, "Don't get a vaccine, we can't tell you."

Currently, the data that can be found is the 'Status of Reporting Suspected Cases by Adverse Event Symptoms' in the 'Weekly Adverse Event Occurrence Trend' report released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) every week.

Separately, the COVID-19 vaccination response team at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on the 19th of last month, based on data from the National Health Insurance Corporation, "The number of reported adverse reactions reported only to women of childbearing age who have registered their expected date of birth so far. Most of them are redness and pain. , common reactions such as muscle pain.”

Although both are statistics released by the government, it is not easy to understand why the numbers are different and what kind of difference there is only by looking at the factual data.

The government also has 'grievances'.

Like me, there are many cases of pregnant women who were not pregnant during the 1st and 2nd vaccinations, but were pregnant during the 3rd time, so it is difficult to understand the overall status of pregnant women. This is because the criteria for judging whether to be regarded as

When I inquired about it to the team in charge of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they replied, "We are conducting statistical analysis on vaccinations for pregnant women and we will announce the results soon."

"So is it right or not?"

If someone asks me like this, I think a pregnant woman who has completed the 3rd vaccination will answer, 'I was very worried, but after I got it, I am relieved'.

If you are pregnant during the vaccination period like me, it may be helpful to look at the sequelae at the time of vaccination before pregnancy.

If you are pregnant without getting the corona vaccine, discuss with your doctor whether there were any side effects from receiving other vaccines, such as the flu vaccine It would be good for you to choose.

It is also good to keep in mind the situation where the number of confirmed cases is increasing significantly due to the spread of Omicron.

There are cases where pregnant women who have recently been confirmed have difficulties finding a bed that can provide treatment and delivery, and even if they find a bed and are hospitalized, it is difficult to use drugs or treatments like general corona patients, so it is difficult to treat them. You will see it a lot in

For pregnant women who are worried that no one will take care of them, I hope the government pays more attention to providing transparent and reliable information and an environment where you can get vaccinated with confidence.

(Reporter: Park Soo-jin, PD: Kim Do-kyun, Illustration: Kim Jeong-yeon, Producer: D Content Planning Department)