Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 3: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said pregnant women should get the Covid-19 vaccine.
In a statement, DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan said that expecting mothers are now considered a high-risk group and we should extend the vaccine to them on a priority basis.
Quoting a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, he said the Covid-19 vaccine is safe for both mother and baby.
Dr Nisar said the study showed that the vaccine generates a robust immune response in pregnant women, equivalent to the general population, “Additionally, protective antibodies were also isolated in the umbilical cord and breast milk, implying protection to the unborn and the newborn,” he said.
He said that the CDC recommends that vaccine should be given to pregnant women. “While the Union Health Ministry is not recommending the vaccine to pregnant women at this time as there was no data available to ensure safety in pregnancy.”
Dr Nisar said that we now have evidence and we should offer vaccines to them,
The DAK President said pregnant women are experiencing more severe illness in the second wave than was observed in the first wave. “We are seeing an increase in the number of pregnant women requiring intensive care and ending up on ventilators,” he said.
He said the medical literature indicates that maternal Covid-19 infection affects pregnancy outcomes, with increasing evidence of iatrogenic preterm births and cesarean section births due to maternal or fetal compromise or both.
He said that the higher risk of severe Covid-19 suggests that pregnancy should be now considered a high-risk condition and we should prioritize immunization in pregnant women.
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