Bhubaneswar: Covid-19 vaccination for pregnant women in the state is likely to be delayed as the healthcare staffers are yet to be imparted the required training.
The Union government has recently approved usage of anti-Covid vaccines in India for pregnant women. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also shared certain guidelines of the inoculation drive for pregnant women with the state government.
However, the state Health department is still waiting for an orientation programme where the Union Health ministry will brief the states on the usage of the vaccines for pregnant women and the modalities of the system. Later, the states will train the health staffers involved in the said vaccination exercise.
Health department additional chief secretary PK Mohapatra Saturday wrote to the district Collectors and other officials to wait for the orientation programme by the Centre. He asked the district administration to refrain from vaccinating the pregnant women unless full training is imparted to the staffers.
Unlike India, many western countries have started inoculating pregnant women with the m-RNA based Covid vaccines available there while due to lack of adequate studies and evidence, the Indian government delayed including pregnant women into the ambit of Covid vaccination.
The Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) had been advocating for vaccinating pregnant women in the state and protect them and the newborns from the deadly virus.