COVID-19 Vaccination and Intent Among Pregnant Women, United States, April 2021

Objectives: National data on COVID-19 vaccination coverage among pregnant women are limited. We assessed COVID-19 vaccination coverage and intent, factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination, reasons for nonvaccination, and knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to COVID-19 illness and vaccination among pregnant women in the United States. Methods: Data from an opt-in internet panel survey of pregnant women conducted March 31-April 16, 2021, assessed receipt of >= 1 dose of any COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. The sample included 1516 women pregnant any time during December 1, 2020-April 16, 2021, who were not fully vaccinated before pregnancy. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine variables independently associated with receipt of COVID-19 vaccine. Results: As of April 16, 2021, 21.7% of pregnant women had received >= 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy, 24.0% intended to receive a vaccine, 17.2% were unsure, and 37.1% did not intend to receive a vaccine. Pregnant women with (vs without) a health care provider recommendation (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 4.86), those who lived (vs not) with someone with a condition that could increase risk for serious medical complications of COVID-19 (aPR = 2.11), and those who had received (vs not) an influenza vaccination (aPR = 2.35) were more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Common reasons for nonvaccination included concerns about safety risk to baby (37.2%) or self (34.6%) and about rapid vaccine development (29.7%) and approval (30.9%). Conclusions: Our findings indicate a continued need to emphasize the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and to widely disseminate the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other clinical professional societies for all pregnant women to be vaccinated.

Automated summary

Vaccination coverage and intent among pregnant women in the United States were assessed in this study. The results showed that a relatively low percentage of pregnant women received the COVID-19 vaccine, and there were varying levels of intent to receive the vaccine. Pregnant women who had a healthcare provider recommendation, lived with someone at risk for serious complications, or had received the influenza vaccine were more likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Concerns about safety risks to both the baby and themselves, as well as distrust in the rapid development and approval process of the vaccine, were common reasons for nonvaccination.