Bangladesh: Pregnant, breastfeeding women to be given Covid19 vaccine

Bangladesh desk: Bangladesh government will vaccinate pregnant and breastfeeding women against Covid-19 amid the pandemic following recommendations by an expert panel.
The Directorate General of Health Service ( DGHS) has chalked out a cautious plan for the inoculation of pregnant women and sent necessary instructions to the centres.
These women will not be included in the ongoing expanded mass vaccination campaign, DGHS spokesman Robed Amin said on Sunday.
They will have to register online on the Surokkha web platform and take the vaccine at centres with hospital facilities only, where registered doctors will counsel them first.
Sick and comorbid pregnant women and those with a history of allergy to vaccines will not be given Covid-19 shots.
They would not be given the second dose if they face an adverse event following immuninisation ( AEFI)
When Bangladesh rolled out its immunization drive in February, the Health Ministry decided to keep pregnant women off the list of recipients as the vaccine had not been tested in a clinical setting.
As many as 3.5 million women become pregnant across Bangladesh each year. These women are not receiving the vaccine for now, according to the Health Ministry.
Some countries around the word have started immunizing pregnant women against Covid-19, and as of now, no adverse effects have been reported.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization in the UK and Australia’s Technical Advisory Group on Immunization have suggested that pregnant women should receive the Covid-19 vaccine as it reduces risks.
Also, the World Health Organization said pregnant women should receive the Covid-19 vaccine as the benefits surpass the adverse effects.
After hearing a writ petition seeking an order to give the vaccine to pregnant women, the High Court on Aug 2 kept the matter for the authorities to decide.
The National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group, or NITAG, then said it recommended Covid-19 vaccine for pregnant and breastfeeding women by the end of July.