Acceptance and perceptions towards covid vaccination among pregnant and lactating women in a tertiary care centre in coastal india

Abstract

Vaccination is a very important step in reducing the spread of COVID-19 by way of herd immunity. Vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women is particularly high despite professional bodies strongly endorsing the vaccine. Many pregnant women are not willing to be vaccinated due to safety concerns despite the reassurance that vaccines are safe during pregnancy without any additional complication during pregnancy. Our study aims at identifying the attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine acceptance as well as non-acceptance in pregnant and lactating women. A cross sectional study was conducted on 454 pregnant and post natal mothers of Father Muller Medical College. Data was collected from a face-to- face questionnaire which included demographic characteristics of study participants and a set of questions to test the Knowledge and Attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. All participants were aware about the vaccine’s availability; however, 80.93% were uncertain about its benefits. The primary reasons for hesitancy included familial influence (82.6%) and safety concerns (87% believed the vaccine might cause infection, 81.05% feared fetal harm). Only 17.62% of the study participants believed in the vaccine's efficacy. Participants showed limited understanding of COVID-19's impact on pregnancy, underscoring the need for improved health education.