Leeds Teaching Hospital one of sites to trial Covid-19 vaccine in pregnant women

The UK’s first Covid-19 vaccine study for pregnant women is set to launch, with part of the trial taking place at Leeds Teaching Hospital.

Around 235 women will be given the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or a placebo in the study, which is taking place at 11 hospital sites across the UK.

More than 100,000 pregnant women have already been vaccinated in the US, mainly with mRNA vaccines including Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, with no safety concerns.

For this reason, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in the UK has said it is preferable for pregnant women in the UK to be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

There is no evidence to suggest other vaccines are unsafe for pregnant women but studies are ongoing.

All women will receive a dose of the vaccine at some point in the trial. Credit: PA

Participants for the new study will be identified via obstetricians and midwives at the hospital sites involved.

All women in the study will be given the Covid vaccine at some point, including those initially given a placebo.

Professor Nigel Simpson, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Leeds Teaching Hospital and NIHR speciality lead for reproductive health, said: "Catching Covid-19 in pregnancy can have serious consequences for mothers and their babies.

"In the future, we are likely to continue living with and needing to vaccinate against Covid-19 and its variants.

"This important study will not only help us understand how best to protect the mothers and babies of today but also how we can prepare to protect those in the future."

People can sign up for the study here.