The Union Health Ministry Says Pregnant And Lactating Women Should Not Be Given The COVID 19 Vaccine Just Yet

After a long time, this morning I checked India’s COVID 19 statistics. I was pleasantly surprised. Our curve seems to be flattening and our daily case numbers have reduced drastically. It’s everything we have been wishing for since mid-2020. However, this doesn’t mean that the nightmare is over. The lethal virus is still very active and the only way to curb the pandemic is to get everyone vaccinated. However, even though the vaccines are nearly here there are a lot of terms and conditions that come with it. For instance, the health ministry says that pregnant or lactating women can’t be given the COVID 19 vaccine just yet. 

On Thursday, in a letter sent to all states and union territories, the health ministry said giving the COVID 19 vaccines to pregnant and lactating women was not permitted since they have not been part of any anti-coronavirus vaccine clinical trial.  

The letter stated, “Pregnant and lactating women have not been a part of any COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial so far. Therefore, women who are pregnant or not sure of their pregnancy and lactating women should not receive COVID-19 vaccine at this time.” 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch India's massive COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 via video conferencing#CovidVaccinehttps://t.co/uH6sTS1Aun

— Business Standard (@bsindia) January 14, 2021

Also Read: This Young Couple From Madhya Pradesh Travelled 200 Km To Volunteer In A Coronavirus Vaccine Trial.

The letter, written by Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary, Union health ministry, also highlighted that under the emergency use authorisation, coronavirus vaccination is indicated only for 18 years and above. If required, COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines should be separated by an interval of at least 14 days.

Along with the list of precautions and contraindications for COVID-19 vaccination, the letter also contained a comparative factsheet for both the vaccines, Serum Institue’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which contains information on vaccine platform, physical specifications, dosage, cold-chain storage requirements, contraindications and minor AEFIs (adverse event following immunization). 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch India’s massive COVID 19 vaccination drive on January 16 through video conferencing. Adequate doses of both the vaccines have been delivered across the country to all states and union territories.

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