Although the Ministry of Health had previously advised against pregnant people being vaccinated for COVID-19, officials yesterday announced a policy change which will enable breastfeeding mothers to now receive the vaccine.
During the ministry’s virtual health briefing yesterday, Women’s Health Director Dr Adesh Sirjusingh said a formal decision was taken by the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group and was restricted to only the Sinopharm vaccine.
While approval has not been granted for the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to this category of people, Sirjusingh also stressed, “We have not allowed the approval at this time for pregnant women.”
He said, “After considering all of the documentation, we are now allowing officially, as of today, to roll out the use of the Sinopharm vaccine for the breastfeeding population.”
Sirjusingh appealed to people who are around pregnant women to adhere to the public health measures in order to reduce the risk of spread to this group.
As to why breastfeeding women were only restricted to receiving the Sinopharm vaccine, he indicated, “We had a lot more data when it comes to the Sinopharm vaccine in terms of the technology being used. It’s really a killed form of the original virus and we have used this technology a lot in the past, including in the development of the influenza vaccines which we already use in pregnancy. So, we did have a lot more leeway when it came to approving it.”
He continued, “Now that the baby is delivered, you have more leeway because the actual vaccine isn’t transmitted in the breast milk to the baby. All that is transmitted are good things…the antibodies that the mother makes goes in the breast milk and gives that baby another level of protection because, as you know, children below the age of 18 aren’t allowed to be vaccinated at this time.”
Sirjusingh appealed to pregnant persons to keep scheduled clinic appointments as they had recorded a fall-out in this area. Further, he said it was imperative that newborn babies receive their prescribed vaccines on time and as they should.
He advised there were telemedicine services available for COVID-19 patients who are quarantined at home or unable to attend clinic appointments for one reason or another.
Sirjusingh said 170 people in various stages of their pregnancy had so far contracted the COVID-19 virus.
He confirmed a surge in this area as he said in March, only 41 cases of pregnant persons had contracted the virus up to that point, which meant that 129 more people have since been diagnosed with the virus.
He cautioned, “Pregnancy is by itself now considered a higher risk condition if you contract COVID 19.”
He also warned women over 35 years of age who suffer from diabetes, asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, or if they were in the second half of the pregnancy, “If you contact COVID-19, you are more likely to get seriously ill.”
Of the 170 pregnant people who contracted the virus, Sirjusingh said at least ten have ended up in the Intensive Care Unit.
Meanwhile, he said although they had not seen a direct foetal effect on the baby as a result of the virus, they had however recorded, “an increased risk of pre-term delivery” and the result of possible heart complications for the mothers during the pregnancy.
—Anna-Lisa Paul