Thailand urges pregnant women to get vaccinated, cites higher risks

[Jonathan Fairfield]

FILE PHOTO: A pregnant woman wears a protective face mask due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as she came out from Suvarnabhumi Airport at Bangkok, Thailand March 20, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's coronavirus task force on Wednesday called on pregnant women in the country to get vaccinated against COVID-19, citing a higher risk of deaths among those who become infected with the coronavirus.

 

"We have a target of vaccinating 500,000 women who are at least 12 weeks pregnant, but only 2,078, or 0.4%, have received two doses," Apisamai Srirangsan, a spokesperson for the coronavirus task force, told a news briefing.

 

"Pregnant women are 2.5 times more likely to die after an infection than others due to changes to body shape that makes breathing more difficult," said Apisamai.

 

Thailand has fully vaccinated about 9.7% of its overall population of over 66 million with a combination of China’s Sinovac vaccine and AstraZeneca shots.

 

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is being offered to pregnant women and as a booster to medical workers who had previously received two shots of Sinovac.

 

Health ministry data showed since April 2,327 pregnant women had been infected, of which 22 had received one vaccine dose.

So far, 53 women and 23 unborn babies had died, the data showed.

 

A study by British scientists in April showed that pregnant women infected with COVID-19 faced higher risks than previously known such as premature birth, high blood pressure with organ failure risk, need for intensive care and possible death.

 

Women who are at least three months pregnant can safely get inoculated with any vaccine, Apisamai said, adding that immunity could also be transferred to the child.

 

Thailand has reported 1.1 million cases of the coronavirus and over 10,000 fatalities, the majority of which occurred after April.

 

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Ed Davies)

 

Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-08-25

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[webfact]

COVID related deaths among pregnant women 2.5 times higher than others

 

 

The fatality rate among COVID-19 infected pregnant women in Thailand accounts for 1.85% of all the cases found in pregnant women and is 2.5 times higher than the death rate among patients who have no other influencing factors. The deaths are mostly due to respiratory failure, according to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

 

CCSA Assistant Spokesperson Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan said today (Wednesday) that the Royal College of Pediatricians of Thailand has expressed serious concern over the deaths of pregnant women infected with COVID-19, citing findings between December and August 11th, which made up the 0.43% of all fatalities from the virus.

 

The findings conclude that the physical changes women undergo in advanced pregnancy, such as the enlarging of the uterus and the increase of amniotic fluid volume, make it difficult for the lungs to expand fully or for pregnant women to breathe, resulting in respiratory failure.

 

Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/covid-related-deaths-among-pregnant-women-2-5-times-higher-than-others/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-08-26

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[khunPer]

From the article...

Dr. Apisamai noted that infection rates in the provinces are rising, especially in the “dark red” zones, predominantly due to infected people returning to their home provinces, citing the cases of Chon Buri, Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao and northeastern provinces.

 

Commuting is worst case scenario of spreading infections to become an epidemic, or pandemic - nothing new here, it has been known for ages, that why we have the word "quarantine", i.e. 40 days isolation - amazing that sick people are allowed "returning to their home provinces"...????

[Boedog]

Why don't they just come out and say they want to reduce the population by killing all your unborn babies, who in there right mind would think giving a pregnant woman an experimental drug is for her benefit, enough is enough, covid is a man made virus we have no choice but to live we now, treat it like the flu and get on with life