Does the vaccine impact fertility? Jonathan Van-Tam explains connection between Covid vaccination and infertility

As the UK’s Covid vaccine rollout continues, government officials and advisors are urging people accept the invitation for a coronavirus jab.

Though their words of encouragement are being tackled by a degree of hesitancy among some priority groups, and rumours around alleged Covid vaccine side effects.

One piece of speculation which has lingered is the connection between coronavirus vaccination and infertility in men and women of different ages.

It is a concern which has caught the attention of England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, who was questioned if the Covid vaccine has an impact on fertility.

Does the Covid vaccine impact fertility?

Professor Van-Tam has been advising the UK government in its response to the coronavirus pandemic and is a member of the Vaccine Taskforce to combat the deadly disease.

He said there was no risk to fertility from the Covid vaccines.

“It is just not biologically logical that they would,” he told Sky News. “Secondly, no vaccine has ever done this.

“But I can say that for people who are at risk and are being called for vaccines, getting Covid does affect your long-term chances of life – and that’s a pretty important counterbalance.”

Should pregnant women have the Covid vaccine?

The professor appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme where he was asked if pregnant women or women looking to start a family should get the vaccine.

“When we say ‘for the time being’ we advise the vaccine in pregnant women who are at severe risk of Covid-19,” he said in conversation with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid.

“We are not saying that we believe it is unsafe in the wider population of pregnant women but we don’t yet have that extensive data.

“We will have (more data) in time and right now if you are pregnant and you have very significant health conditions - you might die of Covid so for goodness sake have that conversation with your doctor about whether it’s the right thing for you to do.

“I wouldn’t have any hesitation in having that discussion personally with a pregnant woman who was at very high risk.”

Why is there Covid vaccine hesitancy?

Most groups in the government’s priority listings are showing high uptake of the coronavirus vaccine, but there are some communities that have a lower uptake.

Professor Van-Tam admitted to being concerned about vaccine hesitancy within black and minority ethnic groups.

“I am concerned about this and I expect the NHS to publish data on uptake in due course,” he told Sky News.

“I am concerned about it, I know there is hesitancy in some of the black and minority ethnic communities and I know it’s been an issue for decades that it is always more difficult to get high uptake of vaccines and other preventative healthcare services in areas of unfortunately low prosperity, high deprivation of the UK.

“This is not a new problem but it is one that greatly concerns me because we need very high uptake.”

Prof Van-Tam said high uptake would “give us the best chance of moving from where we are now – which let’s face it is quite a bit better than where we were a month ago – to where we really want to be by the time the road map is complete in the early summer”.

What Covid vaccines have been approved in the UK?

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved three Covid vaccines to be used in adults in recent months.

The vaccine produced by Pfizer / BioNtech was the first to be given the green light on 3 December before the Oxford / AstraZeneca jab was approved on 30 December.

The Moderna vaccine was the third to be given approval in the UK on 8 January, though, unlike the Pfizer and Oxford jabs, the Moderna vaccine is not yet available to be used.

The UK has been administering the Oxford and Pfizer vaccines into the arms of millions of the most vulnerable people in society who are most at risk of catching the disease.

What are side effects of Covid vaccination?

Most side effects of the Covid vaccine are mild and should not last longer than a week, the NHS says.

Main side effects include a sore arm where the needle went in, feeling tired, a headache, feeling achy, or feeling or being sick. Painkillers, such as paracetamol, can be taken.