We recommend 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during your pregnancy if you have:
Some people with a weak immune system may need 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.
If you are pregnant and want a COVID-19 vaccine, contact your GP or healthcare team.
The COVID-19 vaccine we use is the Comirnaty vaccine (manufactured by Pfizer).
The safety of COVID-19 vaccines is closely monitored. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe in pregnancy.
If you never had a COVID-19 vaccine
If you never had a COVID-19 vaccine before, you can get the vaccine at any stage of pregnancy.
The best time is between 20 and 34 weeks of pregnancy.
Most people have 1 dose. If you have a weak immune system, you may need 2 doses.
How to get vaccinated
To get vaccinated you can go to a:
- GP that offers COVID-19 vaccination
- participating pharmacy
Vaccines recommended in pregnancy
COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for some women during pregnancy.
We also recommend other vaccines for most women in pregnancy:
- flu vaccine - available from October to April each year
- whooping cough (Pertussis) vaccine
Getting the recommended vaccines during pregnancy helps protect you and your baby against serious illness.
Vaccines needed during pregnancy
If you had a recent mpox vaccine
If you got an mpox vaccine recently, wait 4 weeks before you get a COVID-19 vaccine.
This is a precaution because of the unknown risk of myocarditis. Myocarditis is an inflammatory heart condition.
Breastfeeding and COVID-19 vaccines
It is safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you are breastfeeding. You can continue breastfeeding as normal after you get the vaccine.
This content was fact checked by vaccine experts working in Ireland.