World Health Organization experts on Tuesday said the Moderna coronavirus inoculation was not recommended for pregnant women, unless they are at risk of high exposure.
The WHO earlier this month gave similar assessments on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, citing insufficient data. The vast majority of vaccinations in Israel deploy the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
However, Israel’s Health Ministry has advised pregnant women to get the coronavirus vaccine after a number of women expecting a baby fell seriously ill, with several babies delivered prematurely via Caesarean section due to life-threatening risks to the mothers and the children.
Israeli officials have said more pregnant women were being infected with the British coronavirus variant and were at greater risk of developing serious symptoms.
The Moderna vaccine, like the Pfizer-BioNTech one, uses mRNA technology and is being rolled out in a number of countries. Both vaccines require boosters after three to four weeks, but several countries facing limited vaccine supplies have said they will delay administering the second injection so that more people can get the first dose.
The UN health agency has so far only approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, but it is expected to soon issue approval for the Moderna jab as well.
The WHO is calling for health care workers and the most vulnerable 20 percent of people in every country to receive COVID-19 shots before broadening immunization programs to other populations.
