By Pamodi WaravitaThe Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SLCOG) stressed that the Covid-19 vaccination programme for pregnant women needs to be expedited in order to ensure that the necessary inoculation is received by all eligible expectant mothers by at least mid-August. Speaking to The Morning, SLCOG President Dr. Pradeep de Silva raised concerns about the slow pace of the vaccination of pregnant women, noting a serious lack of a centralised system to ensure that pregnant women are prioritised, despite the Health Ministry’s decision to vaccinate them being taken at the beginning of this month. “Expectant mothers need to be made aware of when the vaccination programme for them will occur in their area,” added Dr. de Silva. Family Health Bureau (FHB) Director Dr. Chithramalee de Silva told The Morning that statistics on how many high-risk pregnant women have so far been administered the first dose of such vaccines is not with the Bureau yet. On 9 June, the vaccination of pregnant women over 30 years of age and with non-communicable diseases began in the Western Province.

Source: The Nation June 24, 2021 18:22 UTC