Pregnant women can choose vaccine; lactating women eligible for jabs after delivery: Govt panel

New Delhi, May 13: A government panel has suggested that pregnant women may be offered the choice to take any COVID-19 vaccine and that lactating women can be inoculated any time after delivery.

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) recommended that all pregnant women visiting for ANC care may be informed about risks and benefits associated with Covishield and Covaxin.

Based on the information provided, a pregnant woman may be offered the choice to take any of the COVID 19 vaccine.

An educational tool comprising information on risk of COVID 19 infection during pregnancy, benefits associated with the vaccination and rare complications associated with vaccines like thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (with Covishield) may be developed.

Also, all lactating women are eligible to receive the COVID 19 vaccines any time after delivery, the panel suggested.

According to the current vaccination protocol, pregnant and lactating women should not be administered the shots as they have not been part of any anti-coronavirus vaccine clinical trial so far.