By Alec Go
Health authorities have made assurances amid the country’s intensified vaccination rollout that menstruating and breastfeeding women are safe to receive any approved COVID-19 vaccines.
In an episode of World Health Organization’s (WHO) Science in 5 on COVID-19 vaccines aired on June 4, Indian clinical scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said none of the current available vaccines contain live virus.
“There’s no risk of transmission through breast milk. In fact, the antibodies that the mother has can go through the breast milk to the baby and may only serve to protect the baby a little bit. But there’s absolutely no harm,” Swaminathan said.
The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) is also not recommending pausing breastfeeding before and after COVID-19 vaccination.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women can also take the jab, especially with their “increased risk” for severe illness from COVID-19 and preterm birth.
The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) said women who plan to, or are pregnant, can get vaccinated past their first trimester. It clarified that pregnancy test is not a requirement for vaccination, but it only recommended for suspected pregnant individuals.
The CDC said mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna do not alter a person’s DNA since it “does not enter the nucleus of the cell,” while no adverse pregnancy outcomes were recorded in vaccines that use viral vector that have been given to pregnant people in all trimesters.
Meanwhile, Swaminathan said women on their monthly period can also proceed with their vaccination schedule, noting that “there is nothing scientifically to really come in the way of a menstruating woman taking the vaccine,” apart from feeling tired.
As of June 21, the Philippines has already administered 8,407,342 COVID-19 vaccines doses. Around 1.44% percent of the recipients of 4,495,375 doses administered as of May 25 reported experiencing side effects considered as “mild.” -rir
