Only Pfizer Vaccine For Pregnant, Breastfeeding Mothers: Khairy

Pregnant and breastfeeding women cannot select Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine on MySejahtera, but CITF will coordinate with hospitals and doctors to prioritise them for the shot.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers will only be given Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, Covid-19 Vaccine Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

Among the Pfizer, Sinovac, and AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines that are currently available and approved in the country, only the Pfizer vaccine is suitable for these groups of women.

Khairy said both coronavirus vaccines by Sinovac and AstraZeneca are not recommended for pregnant women, while safety data for breastfeeding mothers is limited.

“Only Pfizer is suitable for pregnant women, between 14 and 33 weeks, or it is recommended to postpone the vaccination after pregnancy, while it’s also suitable for breastfeeding mothers,” Khairy told a virtual press conference on the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme today. 

However, Khairy said that there is no automated system for these groups of women who have registered for the Covid-19 vaccine to get vaccination appointments for the Pfizer vaccine only.

“Hence, I have told the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) to coordinate with hospitals and mother and child specialists to ensure we give priority to pregnant mothers for the Pfizer vaccine while in their 14th to 33th week of pregnancy.”  

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