Maldives to begin offering Pfizer vaccine to pregnant women

Chair of the Technical Advisory Group for Immunization, pediatrician Dr. Ahmed Faisal states Maldives has made the decision to begin administering the Pfizer vaccine to pregnant woman as part of the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

He made the statement in response to a concern raised by Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) dietician Dr. Asiya Abdul Raheem in a tweet on Thursday.

Asiya said that she is not scared of battling COVID-19, but worries for her children, including her unborn child.

She said that as a pregnant woman, she cannot get vaccinated, as a result exposing her unborn child and two young sons to the risk of COVID-19 infection due to her line of work.

“Please stay home and do your part,” she pleaded.

Faisal responded that health authorities have decided to begin administering the Pfizer vaccine to pregnant women.

We are going to offer Pfizer vaccine for pregnant ladies. #StaySafe

— Ahmed Faisal (@Faisalnaifaru) May 6, 2021

Pfizer and Moderna are currently administered to pregnant women in several countries, and some countries are also set to begin administering the Pfizer vaccine for teenagers under the age of 18 years.

Maldives has approved emergency use of three vaccines; Covishield, Pfizer and Sinopharm. Covishield and Sinopharm are administered to individuals above the age of 18 years, while Pfizer vaccine is currently administered to the elderly and individuals above the age of 16 years with underlying medical conditions.

Health Minister Ahmed Naseem recently states the government is working on securing more doses of Pfizer vaccine.