Females who are pregnant face a greater risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, yet their vaccination rates still lag behind.

Now, a study of more than 90,000 females provides further evidence that mRNA vaccines are safe during pregnancy.

The study, published in the journal the Lancet Infectious Diseases, compares risk among three groups: vaccinated and unvaccinated females who are pregnant, and a vaccinated non-pregnant control group.

Seven days after their first shot, 4% of vaccinated, pregnant females felt sick enough to stay home or call a doctor.

That’s only slightly greater than unvaccinated participants.

The control group had the highest rate of such health issues, an outcome that requires further study. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations were rare across all three groups.

Because COVID-19 causes higher rates of significant pregnancy complications, high vaccine coverage is especially important among pregnant individuals.