COVID Vaccine for Pregnant Women

The pandemic has been affecting the country very badly, during these hard time it’s important to take precautions and stay healthy. Protect yourself and others too, so vaccination is one of the important tool to protect from Covid-19 and stay healthy and the good news is that COVID vaccine for pregnant woman should be given as it is useful and will protect the woman. Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Friday that COVID-19 vaccine should be given to pregnant women as it is useful for them.

Thumbs up for COVID vaccine for pregnant women, but cautioned against its use for children.

Earlier, only lactating women were eligible for the vaccine but pregnant women were not. Government stated that due to a lack of safety and efficacy data. Clinical trials do not include the COVID vaccine for pregnant woman as participants.

“The Health Ministry has given guidelines that the vaccine can be given to pregnant women. Vaccination is useful for them and should be given,” Dr Balram Bhargava, Director-General of the Indian Council for Medical Research,.

COVID vaccination for pregnant woman was also discussed by the NTAGI, or National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, in May.

We all know that COVID is not over yet and there is high risk of pregnant woman to get infected. As suggested by NTAGI-STSC; COVID vaccine for pregnant woman is very important because exposure probability is very high and therefore the benefit far outweighs the risk,” the committee said in the minutes of its May 28 meeting.

Many doubts were raised about the risk of COVID vaccine for pregnant woman including that of clotting (or thrombosis) with the Covishield jab, but the committee decided “benefit far outweighs the risk”.

“… before vaccination, pregnant women should be fully informed that long-term adverse reactions and safety of vaccine for fetus and child (has) not yet (been) established,” committee added.

Vaccinating children below 18 years “still debatable until relevant data is available”, Dr Bhargava said, in response to calls to vaccinate kids ahead of a possible third wave of infections.

Vaccination for children will start from September. Studies have started and trials are conducted.

Experts say that before 3 wave it is recommended to urged to increase the speed of the vaccination and widen the vaccination and widen the vaccination net.