Dr. Michael Randell, OB-GYN at Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, is doubling down on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to pregnant women. Get vaccinated.

Millions of Americans nationwide have struggled with deciding whether to receive Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines. While many have been warry of receiving any of the vaccines due to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration having only approved emergency use in the past, the FDA has since fully approved use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Still, millions remain unvaccinated.

With President Joe Biden having recently issued a COVID-19 related mandate that is expected to affect nearly 100 million Americans, the pressure from the White House to vaccinate the U.S. is mounting. When it comes to pregnant women, Dr. Michael Randell believes that it is time to get vaccinated.

Since the pandemic began, there have been four confirmed deaths concerning pregnant women in Georgia that are linked to COVID-19. Doctors are also seeing higher numbers of pregnant women diagnosed with the virus.

The CDC reports that there have been 120,459 positive cases and 155 COVID-19 related deaths in pregnant women within the U.S. since January 22, 2020. With that all in mind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest data attests that three out of four pregnant women within the U.S. remain unvaccinated.

On Aug. 11, the CDC recommended that “all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future” be vaccinated for COVID-19. A month later, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital’s OB-GYN Dr. Michael Randell still believes pregnant women need the vaccine.

“We’ve vaccinated so many people and we have not seen any negative effects from it in pregnant women and in their offspring.” Randell said, speaking to 95.5 WSB’s Sabrina Cupit. “We have the data now.”

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