Evidence review suggests COVID-19 vaccines safe for pregnant women and their babies

WILLOW GROVE, Pa., July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pregnant women are at increased risk of illness due to infection compared with other adults, so avoiding infection is essential for them. Until January 2025, the CDC stated that a COVID-19 vaccine was "especially important" for pregnant women.

To provide evidence-based insights, ECRI conducted a clinical evidence assessment of the health consequences for pregnant women and their babies who receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. This resulted in a white paper summarizing results from a January 2025 systematic review (which included almost 300 studies) and nine additional studies completed since January.

CONCLUSION

The available data suggest mRNA vaccines are safe and effective for pregnant women and their babies. The benefits of getting the COVID vaccine outweigh the risks for pregnant women and their babies.

Download the White Paper in ECRI Newsroom

About ECRI Clinical Evidence Assessments (CEAs)

ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

ECRI's clinical evidence assessments (CEAs) give healthcare providers, researchers, and payors a clear, at-a-glance view of the safety and effectiveness of healthcare interventions and treatments. The CEAs are unbiased reports that inform clinical quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and deliver insights that help decision-makers identify safe, evidence-based interventions.

Using a rigorous but rapid evidence assessment process, ECRI researchers are continually evaluating a variety of emerging topics in healthcare—from new wound care products and obesity treatments to AI-enabled medical devices and digital health innovations. Learn more.

About ECRI

ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. With a focus on technology evaluation and safety, ECRI is respected and trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide. For more than fifty-five years, ECRI has built its reputation on integrity and disciplined rigor, with an unwavering commitment to independence and strict conflict-of-interest rules. ECRI is the only organization worldwide to conduct independent medical device evaluations, with labs located in North America and Asia Pacific. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ECRI acquired The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) in 2020 to address one of the most prolific causes of preventable harm in healthcare, medication errors; then acquired The Just Culture Company in 2024 to transform healthcare workplace cultures – thus creating one of the largest healthcare quality and safety entities in the world. Visit www.ecri.org to learn more.

SOURCE ECRI