COVID-19 | BMC to start inoculating pregnant women from July 15

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Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will start COVID-19 vaccination drive for pregnant women from July 15, news agency ANI reported.

This decision to inoculate pregnant women was taken after a recommendation from the task force.

The BMC will start the inoculation drive with 35 centres across Mumbai.

Mumbai: BMC to start inoculating pregnant women with #COVID19 vaccines from tomorrow. The step has been taken after a recommendation from the Experts' task force. BMC will start with 35 centers across Mumbai, which will vaccinate pregnant women.#Maharashtra

— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2021

On July 2, the union health ministry announced that pregnant women in India were eligible to get vaccinated based on recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).

The decision empowers pregnant women to make an informed choice on taking the COVID vaccination, the ministry said.

NTAGI Chief NK Arora has said that both pregnant woman and child can be saved by COVID-19 vaccine.

“The child growing up in the mother's womb can also be saved by means of the pregnant mother's vaccination. If the mother develops immunity, it will be passed on to the foetus. The effect of the vaccine and immunity developed in the mother's body will remain in the child at least till the time of birth.”

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Pregnant women can take the vaccine at any time, informs the Chairperson. "As per the decision taken, COVID-19 vaccine can be given to pregnant women at any point of time since detection of the pregnancy. It does not matter whether the vaccine is being given in the first, second or third trimester.”

Also Read: COVID-19 vaccines safe for pregnant women, says Center: Check fresh guidelines

Meanwhile, the Municipal Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) requested the Maharashtra Government on July 13 to allow fully vaccinated domestic travellers to be exempted from producing mandatory RT-PCR negative reports for entering the city.

In a letter addressed to the Maharashtra government, MCGM said it was impossible for flyers who travel to Delhi or other business places in the morning and return on the same day or the next morning to conduct and produce the RT-PCR negative reports. Therefore, concerned authorities in Mumbai are requesting that the rule to produce RT-PCR negative tests, which was imposed in May 2021 during the peak of the second wave of the pandemic, be lifted for fully vaccinated flyers.

Mumbai on July 13 reported 441 new coronavirus positive cases, the lowest after February 9 this year, and eight fatalities, the city civic body said.

With the new additions, the tally of COVID-19 infections in Mumbai reached 7,28,615 and the toll 15,644, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) update.