Pregnant women urged to get vaccinated
There has been a worrying rise in unvaccinated women being admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19, says a gynaecologist at Ongwediva.
TUYEIMO HAIDULA
OSHAKATI
A doctor at the Ongwediva Medipark hospital is urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect themselves and their unborn babies.
Dr Linda Nangombe, a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist, said there has been a worrying rise in unvaccinated women being admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19, and evidence that the Delta variant poses a significantly greater risk than all previous strains.
Nangombe said Covid-19 vaccines can be given anytime in pregnancy. Breastfeeding women can also receive the vaccine.
Women who are planning a pregnancy or fertility treatment can also receive the vaccine and do not need to delay conception.
Significant risks
A study done by Oxford University in July 2021 revealed that Covid-19 poses significant risks to both mother and baby.
The study shows that pregnant women are vulnerable to becoming severely ill from Covid-19. In fact, one in ten pregnant women admitted to hospital with symptoms of Covid-19 require intensive care.
One in five pregnant women who are admitted to hospital with symptoms of Covid-19 ends up with a premature birth.
The Oxford study found that close to 99% of pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid-19 were unvaccinated, and that admissions of pregnant women to hospitals with Covid-19 were increasing.
It also appears that pregnant women are more severely affected by the Delta variant of the virus.
Benefits mother and child
Nangombe, who also practises at Oshakati State Hospital, said she had observed that women visiting the two hospitals were scared and avoiding the Covid-19 vaccination.
The health ministry does not have figures of how many pregnant women in Namibia have been vaccinated or have suffered complications in the absence of the vaccine.
Nangombe said in the UK very few pregnant women are being admitted to hospital with Covid-19 after being vaccinated.
She said studies have shown that women who have received a vaccine pass on antibodies to their babies, so the benefit of vaccination to both pregnant women and their babies is clear.
“The vaccine will not cause side-effects to them and their children but will instead protect them. Some are questioning why they are at risk, saying pregnancy is not a sickness, but they should understand during pregnancy there are changes which take place in the body and put them at risk,” she emphasised.
She said these changes include weight gain, changes in the breathing dynamics and circulatory changes.
“As the uterus grows it displaces the heart upwards and to the left. And the coagulation changes. Due to this state, a pregnant woman is very prone to developing blood clots, a condition that has also been attributed to Covid-19 disease,” she warned.
Nangombe added that postpartum depression is frequently seen in new mothers during the pandemic.
“It is thought to be made worse by the isolation, anxiety and stress associated with Covid-19 disease, as well as its accompanying lockdowns and restrictions. More needs to be done to protect the mental health of pregnant mothers,” she urged. [email protected]
OSHAKATI
A doctor at the Ongwediva Medipark hospital is urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect themselves and their unborn babies.
Dr Linda Nangombe, a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist, said there has been a worrying rise in unvaccinated women being admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19, and evidence that the Delta variant poses a significantly greater risk than all previous strains.
Nangombe said Covid-19 vaccines can be given anytime in pregnancy. Breastfeeding women can also receive the vaccine.
Women who are planning a pregnancy or fertility treatment can also receive the vaccine and do not need to delay conception.
Significant risks
A study done by Oxford University in July 2021 revealed that Covid-19 poses significant risks to both mother and baby.
The study shows that pregnant women are vulnerable to becoming severely ill from Covid-19. In fact, one in ten pregnant women admitted to hospital with symptoms of Covid-19 require intensive care.
One in five pregnant women who are admitted to hospital with symptoms of Covid-19 ends up with a premature birth.
The Oxford study found that close to 99% of pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid-19 were unvaccinated, and that admissions of pregnant women to hospitals with Covid-19 were increasing.
It also appears that pregnant women are more severely affected by the Delta variant of the virus.
Benefits mother and child
Nangombe, who also practises at Oshakati State Hospital, said she had observed that women visiting the two hospitals were scared and avoiding the Covid-19 vaccination.
The health ministry does not have figures of how many pregnant women in Namibia have been vaccinated or have suffered complications in the absence of the vaccine.
Nangombe said in the UK very few pregnant women are being admitted to hospital with Covid-19 after being vaccinated.
She said studies have shown that women who have received a vaccine pass on antibodies to their babies, so the benefit of vaccination to both pregnant women and their babies is clear.
“The vaccine will not cause side-effects to them and their children but will instead protect them. Some are questioning why they are at risk, saying pregnancy is not a sickness, but they should understand during pregnancy there are changes which take place in the body and put them at risk,” she emphasised.
She said these changes include weight gain, changes in the breathing dynamics and circulatory changes.
“As the uterus grows it displaces the heart upwards and to the left. And the coagulation changes. Due to this state, a pregnant woman is very prone to developing blood clots, a condition that has also been attributed to Covid-19 disease,” she warned.
Nangombe added that postpartum depression is frequently seen in new mothers during the pandemic.
“It is thought to be made worse by the isolation, anxiety and stress associated with Covid-19 disease, as well as its accompanying lockdowns and restrictions. More needs to be done to protect the mental health of pregnant mothers,” she urged. [email protected]
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article