COVID- 19 vaccine: Can pregnant women get the Oxford vaccine

NEW DELHI (DIVYA SAINI): The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in India is going to begin from January 16, 2021. India has till now, approved two of the Covid vaccines, after several testing. However, some people have made statement that they will not take the vaccine as it has shown adverse effects, such as allergies.

During the clinical trials the Vaccinologist Professor Sarah Gilbert from the University of Oxford said earlier that "It will be important to include pregnant women in the trials because they're potentially at risk of more severe disease but that's something that has to be done in a very careful manner.”

"We have to complete particular toxicology studies before we can enroll pregnant women in the trials and that is all in the planning stages at the moment. So pregnant women will not be included in vaccine rollout initially, they will be one of the groups that will require further assessment. And then we would hope to add that to the groups that can receive the vaccine at a slightly later stage." She added.

According to earlier expert recommendations, it was said that the pregnant women should not be given the vaccines. But recently, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford's AstraZeneca vaccines were approved for emergency use in December.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, United Kingdom has approved it and says that "The vaccine should only be considered for use in pregnancy when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and baby.”

"Women should discuss the benefits and risks of having the vaccine with their healthcare professional and reach a joint decision based on individual circumstances."

However, the women who gave birth to a baby recently are offered the vaccine and advised that there “is no known risk associated with giving non-live vaccines whilst breastfeeding.”

Image credits: thesun