Covid - 19 vaccine hesitancy and concerns of safety from the perspective of pregnant women in a tertiary care centre of Southern Rajasthan

Background: COVID-19 vaccination seems to be the most efficacious way to deal the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic till date, but even then there are concerns and indecisions among pregnant female towards vaccination.In this study we aim at identifying factors for vaccine hesitancy and safety concerns from the perspective of pregnant population, in Southern Rajasthan.Methods: This observational study was conducted on 200 pregnant female, using a selfadministered questionnaire, in a tertiary care centre of Southern Rajasthan from November 2021 to January 2022.The questionnaire contained questions about socio-demographic characteristics, vaccination history, perception of risk related to the COVID-19 pandemic, acceptance and attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination.Chi-square test was used to compare the categorical variables.Spearman's rho test was used to find the correlation between COVID 19 vaccine acceptance and socio-demographic variables of the study participants.Results: Out of 200 pregnant women, 102(54%) had taken one or two doses of available vaccines while 98 (49%) refused to take the vaccine.Common reasons given by participants for covid -19 vaccine refusal were vaccine hesitancy among family members, misinformation about covid -19 and concern over safety of vaccines due to lack of data in pregnant women.Positive correlation was found in covid -19 vaccine acceptance with education and gestational age (p value <0.05). Conclusion:In spite of all government efforts to improve knowledge, attitude and practice regarding covid-19 vaccine, lacuna still exists.It is the need of hour, to address these concerns in vaccine resistant pregnant women and their families.