Guidelines For Vaccination Of Pregnant Women: The Union Health Ministry of India issued new guidelines on Monday for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women. Until now, pregnant women were not being inoculated for the coronavirus due to a lack of medical proof that guaranteed the safety of mother and child after the administration of the vaccine.
However, after the new regulations are issued, pregnant women in India will be able to get vaccinated for the Novel Coronavirus. Previously, the Director-General of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Balram Bhargava also said that the vaccines for COVID-19 should be given to pregnant women.
Here's what we know about the latest guidelines issued by the Health Ministry:
- The Ministry advised that pregnant women should take the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves from acquiring COVID-19.
- All pregnant women can register themselves on the Co-WIN portal or can also get themselves registered at the vaccination centre. The process of registration remains the same as that for the general population.
- Although 90 percent of infected pregnant women recover without any need to be hospitalised, the infection can cause a rapid deterioration in a few women's health. Keeping this in mind, the Health Ministry has advised pregnant women to take all necessary precautions, including taking vaccination against COVID-19.
- The Ministry said that the vaccines are safe for pregnant women and may have mild side effects just like any other medicine and they may get mild fever and pain at the injection site for 1-3 days.
- If a woman has been infected with the virus during her pregnancy, then she should get vaccinated soon after the delivery.
- According to the Health Ministry, in a rare case, one in five lakhs pregnant women may experience symptoms within 20 days of getting the vaccine, requiring immediate attention.
- However, the vaccine's long-term adverse effects and safety for the foetus and child are not established yet.
Why Pregnant women should consider vaccination
- Pregnant women who are above the age of 35 and suffer from one or more underlying medical conditions like high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and have a history of clotting in the limbs are at a higher risk of illness due to COVID.
- Most pregnant women are asymptomatic or have a mild disease if they contract the virus. However, pregnant women with symptoms of the disease appear to be at an increased risk of severe disease and even death.
- According to the Ministry, over 95 percent of newborns of COVID-19 positive mothers have been in a good condition at birth. However, in some cases, the infection may increase the possibility of a pre-mature delivery of the baby with a weight, less than 2.5 kg.
- In rare situations, the baby might die before birth.
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