THE number of unvaccinated pregnant women with Covid-19 in Welsh intensive care units is "much higher than (it) should be", according to a senior doctor at Public Health Wales.

Dr Gill Richardson, the deputy chief medical officer for vaccinations, issued a fresh appeal today (Tuesday) urging pregnant women to get vaccinated.

A recent audit of Covid patients in hospital in Wales found one in six intensive care patients receiving ECMO treatment – a life support machine that oxygenates the blood – was a pregnant woman who had not been vaccinated.

While she acknowledged that some women had reservations about getting jabbed while pregnant, Dr Richardson said that avoiding vaccinations could have fatal consequences.

“We know that it is difficult and women are worried and concerned, but we would just ask them to talk to their midwives and talk to their partners because we have seen some real tragedies among pregnant ladies who have sadly left families behind and succumbed to the Delta variant," Dr Richardson said during a Welsh Government press conference.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS:

That briefing was held as Wales prepares to ramp up its booster jab programme, with a target for all eligible adults in Wales to receive their vaccine invitations by January.

With that target comes new momentum behind vaccine messaging, with health minister Eluned Morgan urging people to "step up" when they are called for a booster jab.

'Misleading' claims around vaccines and pregnancy

The Welsh Government did launch a campaign, in October, to raise awareness about the Covid vaccines and pregnancy, and dispel rumours that the jabs had any links with higher rates of miscarriage or stillbirth.

Conversely, the risks of complications if someone catches Covid while pregnant are very real.

"Catching coronavirus while pregnant means you’re twice as likely to develop complications like pre-eclampsia, pre-term birth and stillbirth," Dr Christopher Johnson, consultant epidemiologist and interim head of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme for Public Health Wales, said at the time.

"Although the risks involved are generally quite low, the science shows it is safer to have the vaccine than not have it."

The campaign is being supported by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM Wales).

At the time of the launch, Helen Rogers, the RCM's Wales director, said she had "real concerns" about the "misleading and often simply wrong information circulating about the vaccine and pregnancy, and which may be affecting women’s decisions to have it or not".

She added: "I urge women to get their information from trusted sources such as the NHS and government websites or medical organisations such as the RCM and The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. If you are unsure about the vaccination do speak to a healthcare professional such as your midwife or GP who will give you unbiased and factual advice and support.”