ATAGI has recommended that pregnant women who have received one dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine preferentially receive the Pfizer vaccine for their second dose.  

While the Pfizer vaccine has been recommended for pregnant women for months, there has been a gap in the advice for women vaccinated with AstraZeneca before finding out they were pregnant.  

In July, Melbourne obstetrician Dr Nisha Khot, the clinical director of obstetrics at Djerriwarrh Health Service, said she was seeing pregnant health workers who had been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine before the ATAGI advice changed in April, asking what to do for their second dose.  

“Most of the government advice says talk to your healthcare provider, but in this case, we don’t have clear advice to give,” she said at the time.