More than 2.27 lakh pregnant women in India have been administered their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, stated the government on Friday.

Tamil Nadu has the highest number of pregnant women vaccinated, standing at more than 78,838. It is followed by Andhra Pradesh with 34,228 pregnant women vaccinated, Odisha with 29,821, Madhya Pradesh with 21,842, Kerala with 18,423 and Karnataka with 16,673. States have taken several steps to encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated, including counselling at antenatal clinics, mobilization of ASHAs, etc. The health ministry said that these numbers are a result of regular counselling of pregnant women by health workers and medical officers regarding the risks of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy and the benefits of vaccination for pregnant women… (ET Healthworld, July 30, 2021)