COVID-19 vaccine free for pregnant Albertans but many don't know that, doctors warn

Pregnant Albertans ar eligible for a release COVID-19 vaccinum this come, but doctors say they haven't seen any verbatim messaging from the provincial government alerting either patients or health-care providers.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) defines pregnant individuals as high risk and recommends they should receive a COVID-19 shot.

Alberta's fall immunization plan, which has faced backlash because it will require most Albertans to pay $100 for the vaccine, offers coverage for specific high-risk groups.

While some eligible groups have been highlighted in government announcements, pregnant Albertans were not. People have to dig into the provincial government's COVID-19 website to find that information.

Dr. Stephanie Cooper, a Calgary-based maternal fetal medicine specialist and high-risk obstetrician, said the messaging has led to confusion among her patients about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. She said a number of her patients thought they couldn't get the vaccine at all, and some were considering travelling to British Columbia for it.

"It has not been communicated down to us, which is unusual for a public health policy," said Dr. Fiona Mattatall, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Calgary.

"There were some rumblings earlier in the summer that pregnancy might have not been included in the coverage in Alberta but that certainly was not in agreement with national guidelines." 

Mattatall said she heard that pregnant Albertans are eligible through a friend.

Calgary-based maternal fetal medicine physician Dr. Verena Kuret was also unaware pregnant Albertans are covered.

"This is new information to me," she said.

"If that is the case, we welcome that change."

According to Kuret, people who are pregnant are at a higher risk of severe outcomes from a COVID-19 infection and that can lead to higher rates of hospitalization, ICU admissions and preterm birth.

Pregnant people can get much sicker from a viral illness, such as COVID, Cooper added.

"A pregnant mom … can be very stable until they crash. They can get ill suddenly. And that can impact their baby, themselves, and how we manage that pregnancy is a lot more complicated."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services did not answer questions about whether the province notified doctors directly and, if not, why that wasn't done.

Instead, the spokesperson noted Albertans can find an eligibility list online.

To know if they qualify for a free shot, people can go to the Alberta government's COVID-19 website, scroll down and click on the "Fall 2025-2026 COVID-19 immunization program" tab. Pregnancy is listed under "eligible underlying medical conditions."

While there was no specific mention of pregnancy in an August announcement outlining the final details of the immunization rollout, it did include a link to that website.

A government announcement in June also didn't indicate pregnancy was an eligible condition.

Instead, that news release left University of Alberta Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Lynora Saxinger with the impression pregnant Albertans would not be offered coverage. 

"Recently, the Federal Drug Administration in the United States stopped recommending routine COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women and healthy children," the June news release said.

Referring to that "controversial" decision likely contributed to the confusion, said Saxinger.

"Framed with that announcement, it sounded like pregnant women were not covered. But if you actually go diving into the actual list, pregnancy is covered, which I think is good," she said.

"The vaccine has been shown to be safe in pregnancy in multiple studies. So it really should be recommended in pregnancy."

The province is rolling the COVID-19 shots out in stages and high-risk groups can pre-book their doses until Sept. 30. Bookings will then reopen in early October, a ministry spokesperson said in an email.

"Public health nurses complete a clinical risk assessment for each individual to confirm eligibility for the free COVID-19 vaccine, the spokesperson said.

Reporter

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