The four vaccines against COVID-19 – Covaxin, Covishield, Sputnik V and Moderna – which have been approved by the Indian government, are safe for lactating mothers and have no association with infertility, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog said on Tuesday.
Dr Paul made the comments while addressing the health ministry press briefing on coronavirus. His assurance comes as media reports have been emerging expressing concerns regarding infertility due to COVID-19 vaccination amongst population of reproductive age.
The union ministry of health and family welfare has repeatedly said that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and recommended for all lactating women.
While Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Oxford–AstraZeneca’s Covishield which is being manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), were given the approval way back in January, Russia’s Sputnik V, which is being marketed by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in India, got the green signal in April. The government today confirmed that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine has also been granted restricted emergency use authorisation by India’s drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
Dr Paul’s assurance comes after Dr Narendra Kumar Arora, Chairman of COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), on June 25 categorically stated that COVID-19 vaccines do not cause infertility.
“When the polio vaccine came and was being administered in India and other parts of the world, this sort of a rumour had spread at that time too. At that time, misinformation was created that children who are getting the polio vaccine may face infertility in the future. This sort of wrong information is spread by the anti-vaccine lobby. We should know that all vaccines go through intense scientific researches. None of the vaccines have this sort of side-effect. I would like to fully assure everyone that this sort of propaganda only misguides people. Our main intention is to save ourselves, family and society from coronavirus. So, everyone must come forward and get vaccinated,” DR Arora had stated.
The Government has time and against clarified that there are no scientific evidence suggesting COVID-19 vaccination can cause infertility in men and women. The vaccines have been found to be safe and effective.
