Pregnant women will get vaccines
New Delhi: Pregnant women are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccination at any time of the pregnancy, as per the latest announcement by the Union Health Ministry.
The Ministry has released guidelines detailing the risks from Covid-19 infection in pregnancy, the benefits of vaccination, and the likely side effects of vaccination.
In India, at present three vaccines have received approval for restricted use in emergency situations. One of them is an inactivated vaccine (Covaxin) and the other two are based on a nonreplicating viral vector platform (Covishield and Sputnik V).
The COVID-19 vaccination has been expanded to include all citizens from 18 years of age onwards, making more than 69% of the population eligible, of which nearly half (48%) are women.
Pregnant women who develop COVID-19 are more likely to require intensive care than their non-pregnant counterparts. COVID-19 infection during pregnancy may result in rapid deterioration of the health of pregnant women and might affect the fetus also.
