Coronavirus vaccine: Breastfeeding women may not be given a COVID-19 vaccine right now. Here's why

While COVID-19 vaccination drives have begun across select countries, people belonging to the most vulnerable, high-risk categories have been shortlisted for the same.

Senior citizens, people with frail immunity, pregnant women and those who have just given birth fall under the same category. However, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms may not get a chance to get a COVID vaccine right now, as per a decision which has erupted debated across the globe and could leave hundreds of thousands of women unprotected.

The controversy came to light when the UK's National Health Service (NHS), which is spearheading vaccination drives in the country issued an advisory for women of childbearing age, and those who are nursing newborns to steer clear of the vaccine.

Sadly, there have also been enough controversies surrounding COVID vaccines causing infertility in women.

To add to that, there isn't credible proof yet, or involvement of pregnant or lactating women in COVID clinical trials as yet- the first trials are only expected to happen in the first months of 2021, which further clouds judgment, whether or not a COVID vaccine is safe for use.

The ones who are against the controversial decision feel that the unavailability of COVID vaccine would force women to make a difficult decision-whether to safeguard themselves from the virus at large, or continue nursing children, keeping their health aside.

Many also feel that the decision will keep many women from breastfeeding-which is super essential immunity-boosting nourishment for young ones.

While the opinion continues to divide people across the globe, we explain the risks behind offering an experimental COVID vaccine for the vulnerable section, and the risks which entail if you don’t take one:

While priority lines are being drawn up, lactating mothers and pregnant women are being asked to wait for a few months before a vaccine dose is administered to them.

Although there is no evidence to suggest that a COVID-19 vaccine isn't safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women, to target a vaccine dose for them would require additional evidence and testing to mark it completely safe, which is one reason why authorities are hesitant to inoculate the vulnerable section.

Another reason behind this is the non-inclusion of pregnant or lactating moms in clinical trials. Experts don’t know the suitable dose which will work for them, claiming it to be a big risk to take. Scientists also worry that the new mRNA vaccines, like the ones Pfizer and Moderna are offering, may be potentially unsuited for them.

Pregnant women and breastfeeding moms have altered immunity- which implies that any vaccine dose could show up a different response than it would show on a healthy person. Testing an unsafe dose could also expose them to side-effects, which could be bad for the mom and baby.

A guideline on the NHS website also states that women should wait upto two months after getting the second dose to conceive, or proceed with fertility treatments, as a safety measure.

This goes in line with the selection category for the clinical trials since vaccines are only tested on women of reproductive ages who aren’t planning to conceive or had a baby in the past two years. While this may seem out of line for some, the ones who support the selective offering consider it to be a traditional measure followed whenever a new medicine, treatment or vaccine is subjected to the general public.

Similarly, the confusing stance on the safety and vulnerability has forced many individuals are considering delaying conception plans so as to safeguard their health and get the vaccine dose.

Pregnant women, new mothers carry no higher risk than other women about catching COVID-19.

Right now, there have only been a few reported cases of pregnant women suffering from complications, or dying of the disease. Scientists are still researching to see how impactful a brush of COVID-19 could be for them.

Young babies and infants also carry a low risk of catching COVID. There have been cases of COVID-19 passing on from a pregnant mom to her baby, in the womb. A recent case study from Singapore also saw a newborn baby naturally having COVID antibodies.

While vaccines are considered to be the best preventive defence against COVID-19, there is no evidence right now which suggests that unvaccinated people or mothers who do not get a COVID vaccine right now will have a higher COVID-19 risk.

Secondly, we still don’t know a COVID vaccine could garner protection and immunity for how long, so not getting a vaccine may not be completely bad.

While it will be a discriminatory call to have vulnerable people like pregnant women or breastfeeding moms have no access to a COVID vaccine, people will need to practice preventive measures, wear a mask and safety protocols till the time we have mass-scale immunization happening.

Getting a vaccine is a personal choice. At the same time, most women would also be concerned about their baby’s health, which may make them contemplate taking a new, experimental vaccine jab.

Relying on traditional vaccine jabs, such as the one being prepared by other vaccine producers like Oxford, which carry the lowest possible risks can be considered for use. With two vaccines being approved for use right now, and many more in the works, experts believe that people will have more choices of COVID vaccines in the coming months, which will also be safer, and less risky for use. Oxford-Astrazeneca’s vaccine shot is being touted to launch in January 2021.

Apart from this, following preventive measures, avoiding undue exposure and most importantly, wearing a mask is the best vaccine all of us have right now.