Israel’s Health Ministry recommended on Tuesday that pregnant women be vaccinated following a rash of cases of pregnant women becoming critically ill after contracting the virus, a phenomenon that health officials believe is linked to the British virus variant.
The British variant is rapidly spreading through Israel, particularly in the Chareidi sector. There are currently ten pregnant women – all Chareidi – who are critically ill after contracting the coronavirus. It has been confirmed that at least three of the women, and very possibly more, were carrying the British variant after Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of the Health Ministry’s Public Health Division, ordered hospitals to send the ill women’s samples to the Health Ministry’s Central Virology Laboratory for genetic sequencing testing.
The Rav of Bnei Brak, HaRav Shevach Tzvi Rosenblatt, asked HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky on Wednesday whether pregnant women should get vaccinated and HaRav Chaim responded that they should and gave a bracha that no harm should result from it.
“There is no evidence of harm resulting from vaccination during the entire course of pregnancy,” the Health Ministry stated. “There is a higher incidence of severe illness in pregnant women who contract the coronavirus and become ill than in a similar age population.”
In addition to the apparent virulent effect of the British variant on pregnant women, it has also led to an increase of virus cases in young children and teenagers.
Furthermore, according to health officials, when a household member becomes infected with the British variant, all members of the household become infected within 48 hours, unlike the original virus, when not all household members necessarily contracted the virus after one member became infected.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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14 Responses
The Health Ministry already said pregnant women should be vaccinated, so what is Rav Chaim saying that we did not already know? Does Rav Chaim know about the British variant? What course of treatment does Rav Chaim recommend for pregnant women that R”L are sick with the virus?
“There is no evidence of harm resulting from vaccination during the entire course of pregnancy,” the Health Ministry stated.
This is ludicrous.
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE ON PREGNANT WOMEN. PERIOD.
NEITHER GOOD OR BAD since this vaccine has not been tested on pregnant women.
10 pregnant women are sick, so therefore let’s inject 100,000 pregnant women with a substance that is totally fine, OR may cause fetal malformations, preterm labor, miscarriage.
The vaccine manufacturers don’t know the vaccine effect on pregnant women so how in the world does the ministry of health know?!?!?!?!
I’m sure he gave all of the available data careful analysis.
“i’m sure he gave all of the available data careful analysis.”
As Jam noted, there really is no “available data” but public health experts are extrapolating from other studies and anecdotal information as to its safety and efficacy. The Rav has generally been very willing to “trust” the experts. However, given his age and circumstances, he is entirely reliant on his gaaboim and advisors who limit access to him and control the information he can review.
These comments are absolutely horrific. Where does emunas chachamim fit in here? R’ Chaim is the closest we have to nevuah today, and some people feel they can actually question his judgement. The point here is not whether R’ Chaim analyzed the data or not. The point is that he gave his blessing. A pregnant woman who now gets vaccinated, relying on the bracha of R’ Chaim, has his work that the vaccine should work and bring her no harm.
Correction: his word
Why is he asked about this?
After he kept on switching between taking COVID seriously and not taking it seriously maybe we should look for a different authority on this topic. no?
Moderators Note: The Gadol Hador never switched anything. Amnon Yitzchak “the idiot, Am Haartez, who has no Yiras Shomayim” (just quoting Maran Hagaon HaRav OVadia Yosef who said that publicly) fabricated that lie. Something he has proven himself to be – repeatedly – over the years. A showman who is a liar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJDQXmW8cNg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKWRXAeUjA0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6vtCkge4y4
it seems some commenters here need some chizzuk when it comes to emunas chachomim
Jam is right. We have no real data. In the US, it is almost impossible to include pregnant women in research studies. The regulations, which have the force of law, represent a mentality that is so fearful of causing even a single abortion that it becomes impossible to assess the safety and efficacy of a potentially lifesaving intervention.
Next time I have a question about the kashrut of an eruv, I’ll ask the dean of Harvard Med School
The one thing more disturbing than people asking Rabbis medical questions, is rabbis answering them.
The video above is itself such a chillul Hashem — and posting it is an even bigger one. YWN mods, what do you answer to all the very good points made by the commenters above? Based on previous videos that I have watched (some from the height of the pandemic), it seems that Rav Chaim’s grandsons, etc., preface all questions about the virus with, “Now there is a big mageifa going around and they made a vaccine/cure/law/etc.; they want to know x/y/z.” What kind of a joke is this? Obviously, perhaps because he doesn’t see the need to be, Rav Chaim is not at all “ligging in the sugya.” (You don’t tell a person who is ligging in the sugya that “there is a big mageifa going around….”) By the way, the baove video is cut, as well… just sayin’. Now, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG with re-explaing said sugya to Rav Chaim time and again in order to continuously ask his advice and get hadracha. But to simply assume that he knows about the facts surrounding vaccination of pregnant women…?!?! The fact that people are dumb enough to ask Rav Chaim questions in this form creates a chillul Hashem nora — not because Rav Chaim isn’t ligging in something he he doesn’t wish to be ligging in, but because it shows that significant numbers of the am hakadosh have thrown da’as and seichel out the window and view da’as torah not as a logical outgrowth of the study of torah, hafach bah v’hafach bah d’kula vah, but rather as an outgrowth of the “nevuah” granted to the chosen posterboys of Kupat Ha’ir and their ilk! Rachmana Litzlan! Eich naflu hagiborim?! The torah, da’as torah, the gedolim and THE UNDISPUTED GADOL HADOR, RAV CHAIM KANIEVSKY, SHLIT”A, are NOT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!! Dah kani, mah chaser. Dah lo kani, mah kani. D’da bei, kula bei, u’d’lo da dei, mah bei.
STOP FREAKEN TREATING RAV CHAIM LIKE YOUR CUDDLY POSTER BOY, YOU RESHA’IM!
@Itsatravesty and anyone else above who claimed that not trusting Rav Chaim on this matter signifies and issue in one’s level of emunas chachamim: DEAD WRONG! Emunas chachamim means emunah in Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s torah and the da’as and lomdus that it gives one who studies it lishmoh and in a manner ORGANICALLY CONSIDERED impressive by the talmidei chachamim of the age — and yes, the chacham also receives a dose of siyata dishmaya when answering a shayla. It does not, however, refer whatsoever to nevuah! That is apikorsus! This is why Rabbeinu HaGr”a put the chassidim in cheirem. Oy, oy, oy, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Hashivah Yo’atzeinu K’Vatchila! Oy, the nevuah indeed of the Gr”a! Oy, how Klal Yisroel has fallen! Hwo sad the Gr”a would be if he saw (as many people proudly and stupidly exclaim) that “nowadays there are no real chasidim and there are no real misnagdim.” Gosh darn it, that’s exactly what he foresaw!! Oy the foresight and chochmah he had! RAV CHAIM IS NOT A NAVI, HE IS THE GADOL HADOR! LEAVE HIM ALONE!
For further research: See Rashi who says that Moshe Rabbeinu told Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “How will I know who to pick for the zekeinim? They will all come to me ‘wrapped in their talleisim.’ How will I know who is a true tzaddik?” Gosh, why didn’t he just use nevuah and shechinah medaberes mitoch grono? He was only the greatest navi who ever lived, peh el peh adaber bo, b’chol beisi ne’eman hu!!
The foolishness has to stop!
Let’s return to rationality, guys.
Thank you to Rabbi S.Y.L.C. for the vort — it is a raya she’ein aleha teshuvah.