Covid-19 vaccination: 72% pregnant women in Maharashtra skip second jab

Over 72% of pregnant women in Maharashtra (around 1.2 lakh) are yet to take their second jab, shows health department data. An official said around 1.8 lakh of them had taken their first shot across the state, but only around 51,912 opted for the second, reports Piyush Bhusari.

The data suggested that Nashik was the leading district — as many as 18,102 pregnant women have taken their first shot, and 5,133 have even opted for the second. In at least five districts, including Palghar, none has returned for the second shot.

“Many might have avoided the pregnancy in the first trimester. There is also a possibility that many who took their first shot might have delivered before the eligibility of their second shot,” said IMA’s Sanjay Patil.

“The gap between the two doses might be the main reason for the delay. We have requested officials to vaccinate the beneficiaries at the earliest,” state immunisation officer Sachin Desai told TOI.