Here’s Why India Is One Of The Last Countries To Open Its Vaccination Drive To Pregnant Women

If you’ve looked at the COVID charts recently, India is still sitting at the number two spot of the world’s worst hit countries. We barely made it through the first two deadly waves and with talks of a third wave coming in, people are getting anxious by the minute. At this moment, all our hopes are pinned on the vaccination drive. While our government is doing all they can to innoculate us all, one of our biggest concerns has been whether our vaccines are safe for pregnant women.

Recently, based on the recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), the Union Ministry opened up the vaccination drive for pregnant women. This decision allows pregnant women and their families to make an informed decision about getting vaccinated. It comes after months of pleas from doctors and gynaecologists around the country. But even though the centre has opened up the drive to expectant mothers, there is still a thick cloud of apprehension.

The main reason why India has been so cautious and conservative in vaccinating pregnant women is that there is a lack of clinical trial data. Reportedly, last month, Vinod Paul, member (health) of NITI Aayog and chair of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for covid-19 (NEGVAC), said that pregnant women should not be included in the vaccination drive. He stated that the vaccines had been developed in a short period of time and pregnant women weren’t included in the clinical trials due to safety reasons.

Guidelines on vaccination for pregnant women have been issued by the ministry. Three vaccines are entitled to be used. Pregnant women should receive the vaccine, it is very important: Dr. VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog pic.twitter.com/nlmZ0MTrOb

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2021

Also Read: 5 Reasons Taking The Covid 19 Vaccine Is Safe For Pregnant Women Or Women Looking To Get Pregnant

Hence, while our experts stressed the fact that pregnant women need to get vaccinated and that its benefits outweigh the risks, the government was extremely reluctant. This is primarily the reason why when other countries started inoculating pregnant women, India decided to play it by ear.

Before the government decided it was safe to innoculate pregnant women, the Indian federation of gynaecologists urged the administration to change its policy. With less than 5% of our adult population fully vaccinated, they argued that pregnant women should be vaccinated on a priority basis. Now that they are included in the vaccination drive, let’s hope that vaccination hesitancy will no longer be an issue. These new guidelines that have been issued by the government seem on point. Better late than never, I guess.

Pregnant? The Covid 19 Vaccination Drive Is Open To You But A Few Indian States Have Hiccups