Malaysia urges pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19
As the number of COVID-19 maternal deaths has increased, the Malaysian Ministry of Health has called on pregnant women to get vaccinated against the disease.
Illustrative image (Photo: AFP/VNA)Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said based on the ministry’s estimation, only 40 percent of pregnant women in the country had registered for vaccination on MySejahtera. He stressed that the number is still low and pregnant mothers are at risk of contracting COVID-19.
Speaking at the daily COVID-19 situation meeting, Noor recommended that pregnant women complete their vaccinations before they enter the final phase of pregnancy.
Since the pandemic began, Malaysia has recorded 70 cases of maternal deaths due to COVID-19.
Noor said 17 of the deaths occurred in June this year when the numbers began to surge. He said between March 2020 and June 2021, a total of 3,396 pregnant women had been infected with COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health views the matter of COVID-19 infection among pregnant women seriously and this is a high-risk group who is vulnerable to getting severe infection alongside the elderly and individuals with comorbidities, he said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), pregnant women are at higher risk of getting severe COVID-19 infection and requiring admission to Intensive Care Units (ICU) and ventilation compared to non-pregnant women.
US health officials on August 11 also called on pregnant women to get vaccinated and stressed that COVID-19 vaccines did not increase the risk of miscarriage./.
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