AT a local clinic in Ndola on the Copperbelt, a pregnant woman is rushed on a stretcher into an ambulance as her panic-stricken mother looks on.
Medical personnel attend to her while as the ambulance prepares to drive off to the main hospital.
For Taonga Mwila (not real name) and her mother, this is a matter of life and death.
At 32, she is expecting her third child, but this pregnancy has come with some challenges.
Mwila’s husband, a brick layer, is currently confined in their bedroom as he has to observe the 14 days quarantine due to him testing positive for coronavirus at the local clinic.
Mwila too tested positive for COVID -19 and the clinic referred the couple to the main hospital for further treatment as she developed complications with her pregnancy.
The pandemic has affected the wellbeing of pregnant women and has also putunborn babies at risk.
Equally, the disruptions and fear by women attending health services, such as antenatal and family planning, has increased the risk of women losing their pregnancies or dying due to coronavirus symptoms.
It is important to ensure that the continuation of quality and safe women’s health services during times of such a pandemics is given more attention if Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be met by 2030.
Health experts have observed how social distancing and isolating has increased the risk of psychological problems among pregnant women and new mothers.
Additionally, maternaland fetal outcomes globally have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increase in maternal deaths, stillbirth, ruptured ectopic pregnancies and maternal depression.
Notably, health experts have described the overall risk of COVID-19 in pregnant women as low, but they have observed how women who are pregnant are at increased risk of severe illness once affected.
A medical practitioner based in Ndola on the Copperbelt, said the hospital has a few cases of pregnant women who have died due to complications caused by Covid Pneumonia.
Ndola Teaching Hospital (NTH) Consultant Obstetrician-cum Gynaecologist Sebastian Chinkoyo said pregnant women must also receive the COVID -19 vaccine as they are at risk of having the infection.
“Generally, the immunity of pregnant women is reduced andthey arelikely to get the virus.This is why all women who are pregnant and those intending to get pregnant must be encouraged to get their vaccines. We lost a few pregnant women due to complications of CovidPneumonia though the numbers were not alarming,” he said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccine effectiveness is expected to be similar in lactating women as in other adults.
WHO recommends the use of the vaccine in lactating women and does not recommend discontinuation of breastfeeding because of mothers receiving the vaccine.
“The use of the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women and those that are planning to get pregnant has been seen to have benefits as it outweighs the potential risks,” Dr Chinkoyo said.
Because of the myths about pregnant women accessing the covid vaccine, WHO recommends that women need to be helped by providing information about the risks of COVID-19 in pregnancy.
It is also important for pregnant women to note that WHO findings on COVID-19 in pregnancy does not recommend delaying pregnancy or terminating pregnancy because of vaccination.
“Looking at the outcome of pregnant women with COVID-19 that have been recorded globally, Covid in pregnancy is seen to increase the risk of adverse outcomes in terms of fetal deaths, preterm deliveries, which lead to a woman delivering prematurely, and steel births,” DrChikonyo said.
He said NTH had a few women who died due to complications of CovidPneumonia and a few cases of those who experienced fetal deaths, but recovered.
Dr Chikonyo described how the extent of the illness in pregnant women led to some of the women with severe cases being hospitalised, with some cases being referred to intensive care or being placed on a ventilator to help with breathing.
At the same time, pregnant women are more vulnerable to respiratory infections.
If they get sick, they tend to develop more serious symptoms that require incubation.
This can put both the mother and baby at risk.
Dr Chikonyo said health experts globally have been giving a clear message on the potential consequences of expecting women who have not been vaccinated and that there is nothing so far suggesting that the vaccine has any effects.
Learning from other countries, which have been hit hard by the pandemic, the United Kingdom (UK)has seen pregnant women affected with the pandemic later on the effects that have been identified.
A report by the BBC showed some health experts explaining how expecting women are being encouraged to get their vaccines because there is no evidence that their babies are affected by the vaccine.
The report observes that some expecting women indicated that the official message on the vaccine was not clear as whether the vaccine was only to be administered to people with underlining conditions.
Studies also show that the vaccine has no effect to the mothers being vaccinated and no damage to the fetus or the new bornchild.
The message that is being given out now is that there is no risk in receiving the vaccine but certainly, the risk of getting seriously ill for expecting women who are not vaccinated once infected with the virusis there.
It was also reported that pregnant women towards the end of their pregnancy have a lot of strain on their bodies and once affected by the pandemic, they are more likely to develop complications and maybe in need of ventilators.
The report also shows how pregnant women discouraged from taking the vaccine are careful about what they put in their body and with the vaccine being new,some young women received information about anti vaccine activists.
Equally in Zambia, some pregnant women spoken to expressed their misgivings about receiving the vaccine, citing vaccine related beliefs and fear of the videos and posts circulating on social media.
Because of this, there is need for health experts to educate the women during routine medical checkups.
There is urgent need to prioritise safe maternity and reproductive services within the strategic response to this pandemic and in future health crises.
As women attend their routine healthcare appointments, health workers must raise more awareness about getting the vaccine and provide more education on the fears, myths, benefits and risks of not of being vaccinated.
Additionally, in meeting the SDGs by 2030, it is important for all stakeholders to realise that addressing the challenges faced during the pandemic and ensuring equitable healthcare access for the most vulnerable groups such as pregnant women ought to be prioritised.