The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 3rd July 2021 has issued operational guidance for Covid-19 vaccination of pregnant women. Based on the recommendations from National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), MoHFW has approved vaccination of pregnant women against COVID-19 with the condition that the pregnant women may be informed about the risks of exposure to COVID-19 infection along with the risks and benefits associated with the COVID-19 vaccines available in the country.
If the pregnant woman decides to get vaccinated, the process of registration for COVID-19 vaccination needs to be explained to her and the accompanying family member. She also needs to be informed about the nearest COVID vaccination center.
The vaccinator or medical officer must consider the fact that women in reproductive age group might be unaware of the pregnancy at the time of vaccination. Therefore, the vaccinator must inform her for immediate reporting of AEFI, if any, following Covid-19 vaccination. In such cases, women will need to report immediately to the vaccinator or nearest health facility.
As per the guidelines, the pregnancy status of women should be recorded into the AEFI notification form while reporting AEFI cases and all Adverse Events following vaccination of pregnant women should be reported immediately into Co-WIN.
