Pregnant women must be vaccinated urgently, says medial specialist

By Rathindra Kuruwita

All pregnant women must be vaccinated against Covid-19, Dr Sanath Lanerolle, Senior Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Castle Street Hospital for Women told The Island yesterday.

Vaccination greatly reduced the chance of complications and admission to ICUs, Dr. Lanerolle said. “We also urge the government to expedite the vaccination of pregnant women,” he said.

Dr. Lanerolle added that they had not yet come across a pregnant woman who had contracted the Delta variant. Given the highly contagious nature of this variant, they were already taking steps to deal with such cases in the future, he said.

However, no one should be worried about visiting the Castle Street Hospital for women as almost all those who were being treated had been subjected to PRC testing.

“On average 1,000 deliveries take place at the Castle Hospital. We test all those who seek treatment there.

Commenting on foreign and local reports that those who were vaccinated with AstraZeneca and Sinopharm had contracted COVID-19, Dr. Lanerolle said that people who had been vaccinated could get the disease. However, the vaccines drastically reduced complications and limited transmissibility.

“Some people think they will not get COVID-19 once vaccinated. Some think that they would be much safer with Pfizer. What I have to say is that no matter what vaccine you take, you must follow good health practices,” he said.

Dr. Lanerolle observed that while most women in their first trimester usually recovered from Covid-19, those in later trimesters could face many complications.

“If a pregnant woman has conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and is obese or over 35, there is a higher risk of complications. If possible, pregnant women must work from home.”