Simi Sebastian, with husband Thomas Athul and their six-year-old daughter Alaina Athul, said she got vaccinated to protect her family and her unborn child. Photo / Paul Taylor
A pregnant Napier woman with just one month to go before giving birth is encouraging other mothers-to-be to get vaccinated.
Simi Sebastian is 35 weeks pregnant and just got her second Covid-19 jab.
Until two weeks ago, she was still working as a registered nurse at a Napier rest home before taking leave.
"I know how important the vaccine is," she said.
She said there was no hesitation in getting the vaccine with her young daughter - Alaina, aged six - unable to get vaccinated and her husband also working as a nurse.
"I strongly believe in getting vaccinated.
"It's a small step but it's a very big responsibility."
Immunisation Advisory Centre clinical director Dr Nikki Turner said while pregnant women were originally excluded from vaccine trials, there was now data showing it was safe.
"Since the end of last year, the vaccine has been used extensively. And since that time we've got an accumulated bulk of data [...] reassuring us this vaccine is safe for pregnant women."
There was also now data showing Covid-19 carried a high risk for pregnant women, and with it out in the community it was "not safe" for women to wait, she said.
"We don't want to leave pregnant women at risk of Covid-19."
She said there was also data supporting that the antibodies could be passed on from the mother to the baby through the placenta, providing some protection from Covid-19, though the extent of this was not yet known.
Paunovic moved to Havelock North with her family from Croatia seven years ago.