Military guidelines for the COVID-19 vaccine mandate will allow women who are pregnant or breastfeeding an exemption. The decision to do so puts the military at odds with the Biden administration’s own message to vaccinate all Americans 12 and older.
The military guidelines exempt pregnant or breastfeeding service members from every vaccine requirement except for the flu and tetanus shots. A Pentagon spokeswoman said the Pfizer vaccine will not be added to the list.
Federal regulators have not yet completed studies on the Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy and safety for lactating and pregnant women. The FDA didn’t sign off on Pfizer’s proposed clinical trial on pregnant women until July 1, just weeks before it gave “full approval” of the injection. Pfizer has until 2025 to return results of the study.
While the CDC says people who are pregnant or breastfeeding should receive the vaccine as no safety concerns have been found in animal studies, the FDA admitted in its final approval notice there is “missing information” when it comes to the “risks” of taking the vaccine while pregnant or lactating.
