For jab, delay pregnancy by 2 months, say experts

Hyderabad: Even as the long-awaited vaccination has been rolled out in the country, clinical trials did not include either pregnant women or lactating mothers due to insufficient data to determine the risk posed by Covid vaccines.

The absence of data made the regulators exclude these women. Medical experts say there is not enough data, but say that soon after the fourth clinical trials, there will be enough information to understand the condition of these women. They do not recommend live vaccine, as compared to killed vaccines (inactivated) to pregnant women.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr Prabha Agrawal, a member of Telangana Medical Council and a gynaecologist and Laparoscopic surgeon from Medicover Woman and Child Hospital, says "As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), the vaccine should not be given to pregnant and lactating women because clinical trials for vaccine safety are not conducted in these two categories. The adverse effects of vaccines on development of babies has not been known; it's merely authorised for emergency use."

Killed vaccines are safe

The live vaccine can cause real infection or activate the body's immune system to form antibodies, so they are contraindicated in pregnancy. But, the killed vaccines do not cause any infection. So, they are proven safe on trials and can be given during pregnancy. If any woman is planning to take a jab, they should delay pregnancy by two months.

But, yet the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recommends optional use of vaccines in vulnerable pregnant women where risk of disease is more than side effects, like in health care workers and pregnant women with comorbidities.

Covid-19 infection in pregnancy could cause serious disease with mortality. Reason being, vaccines cause adverse effects, such as fever, body pains and allergies. Therefore, optional use could be of high risk for pregnant women.Dr Prabha recommends that pregnant and lactating women should follow social distancing, wear mask, practise sanitisation and avoid gatherings to be safe, as they have no access to the vaccine

She explains that vaccine is given in two doses, one month apart. Its protection comes after two weeks after the second dose.

However, pregnancy should be planned after two months after taking a jab. For those women, who have taken the first dose unknowingly, maybe, if they are pregnant, they can continue the pregnancy and postpone the second dose after delivery.

Further, there are no documented effects on breast-feeding babies. But due to lack of trials or valid data, it is advisable to avoid vaccines for lactating mothers. But, T-DAP and Influenza vaccine can be given during pregnancy.