ATHENS – A study by Athens University said that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are safe for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive a child, after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged inoculations.

The study included 7,809 pregnant women, 6,815 breastfeeding women, and 2,091 who planned to become pregnant after the first dose of the vaccine, said Kathimerini in a report.

Some 61.9 percent were vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine and 37.8 percent with the Moderna vaccine from the United States, while 89.9 percent had received both doses of the vaccine for full protection.

There was some reaction reported by 97 percent of the women after the first dose, including pain in the injection area (91.4 percent) and fatigue (31.3 percent) but only 0.6 percent sought medical help after the first dose. The frequency of reactions was higher after the second dose which fully develops antibodies.

The CDC earlier in August said doctors in the United States reported an increase in the number of unvaccinated pregnant people getting hospitalized with severe cases of COVID-19.

As of July 31, only 23 percent of those who are pregnant had received at least one dose of vaccine against the coronavirus, according to CDC statistics, reported NPR.

"CDC recommends that pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on new evidence about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines," the agency said.

"COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant now or might become pregnant in the future,” the agency added.

It said that worry among some people that the messenger RNA vaccines might increase the risk of miscarriage when given early in a pregnancy, were not borne out by data. 

Officials say miscarriage rates after the vaccine were similar to the expected rate of miscarriage in any group of pregnant people. The vaccine is also safe later in a pregnancy and while breastfeeding, the agency's new analysis indicates, the news site said.