State has started gearing up for vaccination of pregnant women against Covid-19 following the Centre’s decision to allow immunisation of expecting mothers.
Jharkhand will impart special training to frontline workers, vaccinators and other individuals involved in the process of vaccination on counselling pregnant women about the benefits and the potential risks of getting the jabs so that they can take an informed decision, health officials said on Saturday.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Friday allowed vaccination for pregnant women, claiming that the benefits of vaccination in pregnant women outweigh the risks. The decision was taken following recommendation from National Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation (NTAGI). However, the ministry has also issued detailed guidelines related to vaccination of expecting mothers, and warned of rare yet severe side effects within 20 days of vaccination.
The health ministry has not specified any additional precautions to be taken during vaccination of pregnant women who were also suffering from anaemia, malnutrition or had a low Body Mass Index (BMI), sources from the state health department said. In Jharkhand, several rural women suffer from anaemia and other nutritional deficiencies, and the effect of vaccination on such pregnant women is not clear, sources in the health department added.
While most of the pregnant women might respond well to the vaccine and show only minor side effects like mild fever and body ache, some vaccinated women may experience shortness of breath, chest pain, persistent vomiting or seizures, guidelines from the MoHFW highlight. Such side effects may need immediate medical attention, officials said.
The frontline workers and vaccinators will also be imparted special training on helping pregnant women get their slots through the Co-Win platform and guide them through the process in case they opt for walk-in vaccination, officials said.
Besides, the State will also hold orientation of members from professional bodies such as the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Society of India (FOGSI), the Indian
Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) and others so that information related to vaccination of pregnant women could be
passed on to other members of these bodies.
Since around 75 per cent of the State’s population lives in rural areas, teams of frontline workers would pay visits to the homes of pregnant women and counsel them about the importance and side effects of vaccination against Covid-19, officials said.
As per guidelines set by the MoHFW, gynaecologists, pediatricians and neonatologists should be made part of the district teams for monitoring of Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) for proper investigation and reportage of side effects in vaccinated pregnant women.