Everything you should know about COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women

On January 16, 2021, the COVID-19 vaccination drive in India started with the frontline workers and citizens above 60. Almost a year later, from January 3, 2022, the vaccination drive was extended to include all citizens above 15 years of age. In the 1st year of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, 1.58 billion doses of the COVID vaccine were administered in India, with over 64% of the vaccine-eligible population of India being fully vaccinated against the disease.

One of the key demographic group among the eligible population were pregnant women. Vaccinations for pregnant women were in a grey area for quite some time. For the first six months of the vaccination drive in India, there was no approval for the vaccination of pregnant women in India. Even though the vaccine was theoretically not supposed to cause any harm to women or the fetus, the lack of safety data of the COVID-19 virus was causing a lot of concern among the top medical body of India against vaccinating this demographic. 

The situation has changed since then, but there are still some things that you need to learn about the vaccines before you go for them if you are pregnant. So, let’s know about the facts of COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women in India.

Facts About COVID-19 Vaccination Of Pregnant Women

The reason the COVID vaccine was initially denied to pregnant women was that there was no conclusive data that proved the safety of the vaccine for it to be administered to pregnant women. You should know that medical products, medicines, even dietary products are meticulously tested and approved by various bodies before they are recommended or allowed for the consumption of pregnant women, so, given that the vaccine had no safety data available at that time, it was initially not approved for administering to pregnant women.

However, pregnant women were and are at a greater risk of developing more complicated cases of COVID-19 than women that are not pregnant. This added risk of developing severe cases of COVID is what changed the attention of the health advisory body into allowing pregnant women to get COVID vaccinations. 

This was done because no matter the risks of the vaccine, the COVID-19 infection on a pregnant woman could lead to serious health problems that could prove to be fatal for the mother and the child. In such a scenario, the benefits of the vaccine, which could reduce the possibility of pregnant women developing an advanced COVID infection, outweighed any risk that might be posed by administering the vaccine.

The decision to allow the vaccination of pregnant women was also decided upon by using previous mRNA vaccines as an example, and given that those vaccines were safe for pregnant women, it was concluded that the COVID vaccines could be safe for this demographic as well.

Currently, the government advisory allows pregnant women to receive the COVID vaccine at any point during their pregnancy after being informed and made aware of the risks and benefits that come with taking the vaccine. It is not made mandatory for pregnant women to take the vaccine. However, it is recommended that women, after understanding the benefits of getting the vaccine to, opt for getting the vaccine to reduce the possibility of getting seriously infected by COVID-19.

Final Thoughts

COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women is a choice. If you are currently pregnant and trying to decide on whether you should take the vaccine or wait. You should consult your doctor and take their advice before making a decision. If you are located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, you can visit Medipulse hospital for a complete guide on the benefits and risks involved with taking the COVID vaccine during your pregnancy. 

Proper medical guidance can help you make an informed choice about whether you should or should not get the vaccine. For members of the society that are not pregnant, it is necessary that they get vaccinated to reduce the spread of the virus and help women that choose not to take the vaccine during their pregnancy safe from COVID-19.