Titled ‘The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report’, a Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDS) has released a report featuring data from COVID-19 Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET). The report is suggestive of the adverse effect that COVID-19 poses against pregnant women, linking preterm births with COVID-19 infections.
The network checked on 7,895 women between the age of 15 and 49, hospitalized with COVID-19 across 13 states of the US from March 1 to August 22. Among them, 598 were pregnant during their hospital stay, out of which 45.5% were symptomatic, including serious illness in some cases with 16% requiring intensive care units, 8% mechanical ventilation, and 1% dead from COVID-19.
Of the 458 women discharged from completing pregnancies, 10 suffered from pregnancy loss, 45 pregnancies were live births and 12.6% were preterm births. The outlet also mentions previous research on the topic and found that COVID-19 can cause fetal distress, miscarriages, respiratory distress, and preterm deliveries. The researchers looked at birth from different time periods and found that the case of stillbirth was higher during the pandemic period.
While more research needs to be done, CDS recommends the following health guidelines and precautionary measures for pregnant women. It also suggests testing of newborn and mother with COVID-19 and isolating them in the hospital setting for further measures to be taken.
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