Knowledge and Acceptance to COVID 19 Vaccine among the Pregnant Women in the Selected Rural Area of the Vellore District

Irene Dorathy, Rajeshwari Siva, Valliammal Murali

Abstract: COVID-19 infection was highly infectious and fatal worldwide. The vaccine against COVID -19 was seen as an effective way to control the outbreak in a phased manner. Vaccination was initially administered to the health care workers and frontline workers. It was extended to older people and the public over the age of 18 years except for the pregnant women who were considered vulnerable. There was limited data on the efficacy of the vaccine. Yet, the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommended the vaccination for pregnant women. Later, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the extension of the vaccination program to antenatal mothers and lactating mothers on 2nd July 2021. Objective: This study was to assess the knowledge and acceptance of vaccines among pregnant women and to explore the factors influencing their decision. Method: A cross-sectional study using a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted. Result: This study found a higher rate of acceptance of COVID 19 vaccine among pregnant mothers. It was high among the mothers who were pregnant for the first time and among the highly educated. Though the acceptance was high, the knowledge regarding the vaccine was only moderate. The common reasons for non-acceptance were mainly the fear of danger to the growing fetus and the mother?s role in decision-making because a small proportion of them still relied on the family?s decision. Conclusion: COVID 19 vaccination rate among women was high. The major reason for hesitancy was the fear and inadequate knowledge of its importance, which could be handled through education.

Keywords: COVID- 19 vaccine, Knowledge of vaccine, Vaccine acceptance, vaccine hesitancy