Two pregnant women have miscarriage after vaccination

Two pregnant women lost their babies after receiving the BioNTech vaccine, Department of Health said.

The first case involves a woman, 32, who received a dose of BioNTech vaccine at the St Paul’s Hospital Community Vaccination Centre on April 8. She didn’t complain of feeling unwell during observation at the vaccination centre. 

She was tested pregnant on April 10 and experienced vaginal bleeding and lower abdominal pain. The next day [April 11] she expelled her foetus. She then attended the AED of Queen Mary Hospital for medical advice and her foetus was certified dead. 

HA said the woman could not give a clear account of her pregnancy information. 

The foetus was estimated to be around 23 to 24 weeks old, according to assessment by the HA. HA then reported the miscarriage case to the DH on April 12. 

Another woman, 32, received a dose of BioNTech vaccine at the Choi Hung Road Badminton Centre Community Vaccination Centre on March 23. She was then tested positive in a pregnancy test on March 25. 

The woman sought medical treatment at the Accident and Emergency Department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital after she experienced vaginal bleeding on March 31. 

The Hospital Authority then reported the case to the Department of Health on April 8. 

According to the DH, BioNTech vaccines are not recommended during pregnancy, unless the woman is at very high risk of getting the disease. Women should seek advice from doctors before having BioNTech jabs. 

The DH added that Sinovac vaccine should not be given to pregnant women, according to the vaccination factsheet. 

The Department of Health will refer the cases to the Expert Committee for conducting causality assessment. 

The Department of Health also said any medical occurrence that follows immunisation does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the usage of vaccine, according to the World Health Organization.