The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many lessons. We now have a better understanding of this disease and have better prevention and treatment methods. We have identified the groups that are facing the greatest risks associated with this viral illness. But there are still some things we need to understand. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that contracting COVID-19 during pregnancy increases the risk of hospitalization and premature birth.
Pregnant women should be considered as one of the risk groups for severe effects of COVID-19. Image credit: Arteida MjESHTRI via Wikimedia
While it seems the COVID-19 pandemic is slowly leaving us, the fight is not over. In fact, many parts of the world, including Canada, are facing a sixth wave of COVID-19 infections. Healthcare systems need to be vigilant and people need to understand the risks. Some people are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Older adults and people with chronic medical conditions should be especially careful. But now scientists say pregnant women are also at higher risk.
Scientists analyzed 6,012 cases of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy in Canada. They looked at disease outcomes and compared these with data from women who were not pregnant when they were exposed to COVID-19. This analysis quickly revealed that COVID-19 complications are significantly more common in pregnant women, the scientists say.
466 pregnant women in the study (7.75%) required hospitalization and 121 (2.01%) were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). The scientists found that pregnant women were 2.65 times more likely to be hospitalized and 5.46 times more likely to be hospitalized in the ICU than non-pregnant women. Several other factors may increase the risk further, such as age and pre-existing high blood pressure. The scientists also looked at statistics on preterm births and found that the rate of preterm births among pregnancies affected by COVID-19 was 11.1%. This is significantly higher than the 6.8% in pregnancies unaffected by COVID-19.
Dr Elisabeth McClymont, first author of the study, said: “Premature birth can have serious and lifelong effects on infants. Our results highlight the importance that preventive measures, such as vaccination, can help reduce COVID-19 infection in pregnant women.”
The scientists also found that none of the pregnant women who received two doses of the vaccine experienced any adverse maternal outcomes. Pregnant women need to be protected from COVID-19 to reduce the risk of serious complications. This is important to know going forward as the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over.
The source: UBC
