Kalyani Agrahari, 27, was recently inducted as an assistant teacher by the Uttar Pradesh administration. When the eight month pregnant Kalyani sought exemption from poll duty, her request was turned down
On April 15, returning from her 12-hour poll duty, Kalyani began to show Covid-19 symptoms. She died 9 days later. “June 10 was supposed to be her delivery date but didi died much before,” says her younger sister Rani Agrahari
Women who contract Covid-19 during pregnancy are over 50% likelier to experience birth complications (such as premature birth), and upto 22 times more likely to die than uninfected women, a recent study in JAMA Pediatrics found
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3rd trimester particularly vulnerable
Pregnancy results in reduced immunity and the 3rd trimester is particularly vulnerable, says Ruma Satwik, a Delhi-based gynaecologist. Disease severity is also higher in this wave
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Despite this heightened risk, India’s vaccine policy does not allow pregnant women to be vaccinated