The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health advisory that strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccination either before or during pregnancy because the benefits of vaccination for both pregnant people and their fetus or infant outweigh known or potential risks. Although the overall risk of severe illness is low, pregnant and recently pregnant people are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 when compared with non-pregnant people. Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with pregnant people without COVID-19.
While WashU Med strongly recommends that employees with temporary exemptions due to pregnancy or lactation consider getting vaccinated, at this time we have no intention of revoking these exemptions.