Pfizer vaccine still Health Ministry's choice for pregnant women

 

The Health Ministry (MOH) said the Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech is still its first choice to vaccinate pregnant women.

MOH Family Health Development deputy director Dr Nazrila Hairizan said they will try their best to make sure pregnant women get Pfizer before using the Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccines, which were also declared safe for the group.

"At MOH, our preferred choice of vaccine for pregnant mothers remains Pfizer. We will try to make sure, and do whatever we can, to give Pfizer to them.

"However, at places where there may be no Pfizer vaccine available, the two other vaccines (AstraZeneca and Sinovac) also can be used," she said during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

Yesterday, the ministry announced its latest vaccination guideline, where the AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines are now deemed suitable to be administered to both breastfeeding and pregnant women within 14 to 33 weeks of gestation.

According to Nazrila, known side effects for all three vaccines are the same, regardless if one is pregnant or not.

"What we know so far, these vaccines are safe and there are no contraindications (for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers).

"But the evidence is more with Pfizer," she said.

Meanwhile, during the presser, the minister in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Khairy Jamaluddin said authorities have so far received 109,607 registrations for vaccines from pregnant women.

Of this, 11,663 have delivery dates in August.

"The mothers who are expected to deliver soon have been given their vaccination appointments according to priority based on their due date.

"So far, over 10,000 have been given appointments with a note that they are expected to deliver," he said. - Mkini