Pregnant women should take Covid-19 vaccine

Union Health Ministry issues new guidelines for administering Covid-19 vaccine to pregnant women

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New Delhi – The new guidelines of Union Health Ministry states, “Available Covid-19 vaccines are safe and vaccination protects pregnant women against Covid-19 disease. Therefore, they should undergo vaccination. Like any medicine, a vaccine may have side effects which are normally mild. It includes mild fever, pain at the injection site or feeling unwell for 1-3 days of vaccination. Vary rarely pregnant women may experience some symptoms within 20 days after getting the Covid-19 vaccination, which may require immediate attention. In case a woman has been infected with Covid-19 during the current pregnancy, she should be vaccinated soon after the delivery”.

The guidelines further stated,

90% of the Covid-19 infected pregnant women recover without any hospitalisation. Those in whom rapid deterioration in health occurs have to be hospitalised. Pregnant women with underlying medical conditions, e.g. high blood pressure, obesity, are at a higher risk of severe illness due to covid-19.

95% of the newborns of Covid-19 positive mothers are in good health at birth. In some cases, Covid-19 infections during pregnancy may increase the possibility of a premature delivery or the baby’s weight might be less than 2.5 kg.