Earlier this week we reported the government has decided to include pregnant and lactating women in the nationwide Covid-19 inoculation programme amid a worrying rise in Covid-19 hospital admissions across the country.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a notice regarding this Sunday. Although the pregnant women are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccination, they must follow some instructions before getting vaccinated, according to the DGHS.

They have to take the Covid shots from government vaccination centres with medical facilities after getting counselling from a registered physician there.

Read: Pregnant woman with Covid-19 unlikely to pass infection to newborns: Study

Pregnant women, who are unwell or suffering from chronic illness or have a history of vaccine allergy, will not be allowed to take the jabs.

Medical experts say there’s no biological reason the shots would affect fertility. And the AP reports real-world evidence offers more assurance for anyone worried about their chances of conceiving: In Pfizer’s study, a similar number of women became pregnant in the group given the vaccine as in the group given dummy shots.

Researchers are starting to study anecdotal reports of short-term changes to periods after the vaccine, but there’s no indication so far that the shots put fertility at risk, said Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a gynecologist and professor at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Read: Pregnant, lactating women to get Covid jab: DGHS

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and obstetrician groups also recommend COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant individuals, who have a higher risk of severe illness if infected with the coronavirus. Research shows pregnant people who get the virus are more likely to be admitted to intensive care, receive invasive ventilation and die than their non-pregnant peers.

The CDC also followed tens of thousands of pregnant women who got the vaccines and found they had comparable pregnancy outcomes to pregnant women before the pandemic.

So whether you are thinking about having a baby, trying to conceive or undergoing fertility treatments, you should not delay vaccination, Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of the department of gynaecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine, told AP.