Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study in an urbanised village of East Delhi

Background: It is well accepted that COVID-19 vaccinations combined with COVID-19 appropriate behavior are the most effective tools for individual protection and pandemic containment. Union Health Ministry announced the approval of COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women on June 25, 2021, in India. The present study was conducted to assess COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and associated factors among pregnant women living in an urbanized village of Ghazipur, east Delhi. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire to assess the estimated coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine among 226 pregnant women and various factors associated with it using a cluster sampling technique. Results: Of the 226 participants, only 101 women took the COVID-19 vaccine during their pregnancy period with an acceptance rate of 44.7%; out of these 33 (14.6%) women received one dose, 63 (27.9%) received 2 doses and 5 (2.2%) received an additional booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Type of family, status of pre-existing medical conditions, knowledge of their COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and literacy status of participants are the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusions: The proportion of pregnant women’s acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine during their pregnancy was low in our study. There is an urgent need to carry out IEC campaigns among pregnant women, health workers, and the community regarding the importance of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and dispel myths about it.