Pregnant women in Malta are still not offered the COVID-19 vaccine, despite studies abroad indicating it is safe for them to take.  

The UK recently approved the vaccine for pregnant women after data collected by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, involving 90,000 expectant mothers, raised no safety concerns.  

However, Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed the Maltese authorities will not yet be changing their position on the matter.  

He said Malta follows advice from the European Medicines Agency and would continue to do so. 

A pregnant woman who reached out to Times of Malta said that while it was evident the authorities were “doing their best” to ensure people’s safety, they should also be open to reviewing their position when fresh studies come out.

Advice on pregnancy and the COVID-19 vaccine is regularly updated by health authorities around the world as more information becomes available. Studies involving pregnant women were limited in the early vaccine trials. In February, the Maltese health authorities changed their earlier position for women planning to get pregnant.

Initially, women were being urged to postpone pregnancy by two months after taking the vaccine. But after a review by the World Health Organisation, the Maltese authorities dropped this advice.

Last year, when the island went into quasi-lockdown, pregnant women were among the group of vulnerable people asked to stay at home.