Colombo: Despite 40 deaths and 5,500 cases of Covid-19 infections among pregnant women, Sri Lankan doctors have asked couples to delay pregnancies by at least one year. Harsha Atapattu, a gynecologist at a government-run maternal hospital, warned that the highly transmissible Delta variant posed serious dangers to pregnant women and their unborn babies.
Atapattu commented that contracting Covid during pregnancy is very dangerous – it could affect both the mother and the child.’ Initially, we stated that pregnant women were not at risk from Covid, but Delta has changed this. There are new variants reported daily’. The break will provide the body ample time to study the Covid-19 virus variants, their effects on the mother and baby and the side effects of the vaccine. During this time, it may even be possible to develop better vaccines, said Atapattu at a media briefing.
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The senior gynecologist also advised using reliable family planning methods but ruled out using condoms as they could be damaged. ‘Young couples don’t need condoms’, he said, despite the fact that they may be recommended for elderly women. Vaccinations should be given to all expectant mothers as early as possible, according to Sri Lankan authorities. At least 75 percent of pregnant women in Sri Lanka have received at least one vaccine, according to Chithramali de Silva, Director of the Family Health Bureau (FHB).
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