Mumbai Covid-19 Vaccination: Over 1,000 Lactating Women Get Their Vaccine Shots; Turnout Of Pregnant Women Zero

Over one thousand women who have recently given birth, have been given atleast one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Mumbai, Maharashtra. However, despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation becoming the first civic administration allowing pregnant women to take the vaccine there have be no takers for it. The BMC’s initiative makes Mumbai the first city in India to allow pregnant women to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 infection.

Expecting mothers can avail the vaccine after providing a consent form as well as a medical certificate from a gynaecologist saying they are fit to take the vaccine. However, a zero turnout points towards issues such as less information regarding the Covid-19 vaccine for expecting mothers as well as confidence issues among the medical fraternity itself as the pandemic has thrown up questions for which there is not enough research conducted.

The Union Ministry of Health had issued a notification on May 19 allowing for lactating mothers to be given the vaccine following which BMC has said that 1,032 such women have received the jab. The BMC’s Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said that post the Union government’s notification, lactating mothers were given the jab after producing their child’s birth certificate.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena MP in the Rajya Sabha too had tweeted on the issue of vaccines for pregnant women. The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) has recommended that expecting women should get vaccinated as the inoculation provides a double protection to the mother and her child.