Pregnant women have been advised against getting the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine because the risks are still not known.
The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use in the UK on Wednesday, after months of rigorous trials and testing.
The Government ordered 40 million doses and promised 10 million will be administered in the UK by the end of the year, of which patients need two doses each.
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But when setting out prioritised groups for the vaccine, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said that pregnant women would not be advised to get it, seeing as there is no data yet on the safety of a jab for mums-to-be.
Recommending pregnant women don't request the jab, they wrote: "There are no data as yet on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy, either from human or animal studies.
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"Given the lack of evidence, JCVI favours a precautionary approach, and does not currently advise Covid-19 vaccination in pregnancy.
"Women should be advised not to come forward for vaccination if they may be pregnant or are planning a pregnancy within three months of the first dose."
The vaccine, which is reported to have a efficacy rate of 95 per cent, was green-lit by health regulator MHRA for use yesterday.
As news of the rollout broke, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman added: "The NHS has decades of experience in delivering large scale vaccination programmes and will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination.
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"To aid the success of the vaccination programme it is vital everyone continues to play their part and abide by the necessary restrictions in their area so we can further suppress the virus and allow the NHS to do its work without being overwhelmed."
Health Secretary Matt Hancock also wrote on Twitter: "Help is on the way.
"The MHRA has formally authorised the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19. The NHS stands ready to start vaccinating early next week.
"The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply."
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The coronavirus pandemic has raged across the world since March, seeing entire countries put on lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.
Shops, restaurants and pubs have been forced to close, workers in several industries have been put on furlough and thousands have faced redundancy.
The news of the vaccine comes after stringent lockdown restrictions in England were lifted at midnight yesterday.
Regions have now been put into 'tiers', meaning some restrictions remain depending on what part of the country you live in.
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