Ep 25. “No Longer Recommended?” The Politics, Science, and Stakes of COVID19 Vaccination in pregnancy in 2025 Expert Guest: Professor Flor Muñoz

Ep 25. “No Longer Recommended?” The Politics, Science, And Stakes Of COVID19 Vaccination In Pregnancy In 2025. 

Hosts Dr. Lydia Yarlott & Dr. Eliz Kilich are joined by Professor. Flor M. Muñoz — Associate Professor of Paediatrics, Infectious Diseases, and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.  Her work has focused on the evaluation of vaccine safety and efficacy in special populations including pregnant women, children, and people with compromised immune systems, as well as the epidemiology and treatment of respiratory pathogens including COVID-19 and influenza

In 2025, the U.S. government — under the Trump administration — made a striking policy reversal: COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy pregnant women or children. But what happens when political tides shift faster than science?

In this episode of Cocooned Health, Dr. Lydia Yarlott and Dr. Eliz Kilich sit down with infectious disease expert Dr. Flor Muñoz to explore the real-world evidence behind this decision — and why maternal vaccination may still play a vital role in protecting newborns.

We unpack:

• How mRNA vaccine particles and antibodies behave in pregnancy and breastmilk — and what studies reveal about newborn protection.
  
  
• Why COVID-19 in pregnancy, while rarer now, still poses serious risks for some mothers and infants.
  
  
• The philosophical and political forces shaping vaccine guidance in the U.S., from public trust to populist skepticism.
  
  
• How global health programs like Gavi and WHO are responding when America — once a vaccine leader — changes direction.
  
  
• And, most importantly: While no longer routinely offered, what’s the evidence that COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy may still bring benefits?
  
  
• Mercury derived thimerosal what is it for, and is it of concern?