Hospitalized Women Giving Birth Have Few Risks From COVID-19

In a large national study of pregnant women hospitalized for childbirth published by the JAMA Network, researchers found that absolute rates of death and adverse events in those diagnosed with COVID-19 were low.

Although the absolute risk differences were small, in-hospital death, venous thromboembolism (VTE), and preeclampsia were considerably higher among women who gave birth with COVID-19 than those without COVID-19, said these researchers on January 15, 2021.

Among the 406,446 women hospitalized for childbirth over the eight months of the study (April 1 - November 23, 2020), 6,380 (1.6%) had COVID-19.

Of the 6,380 women with COVID-19 who gave birth, 6,309 (98.9%) were discharged to home, 212 (3.3%) needed intensive care, 86 (1.3%) needed mechanical ventilation, and 9 (0.1%) died in the hospital.

Among women with COVID-19 who gave birth, morbid obesity and diabetes were frequent risk factors.

The higher rates of preterm birth, preeclampsia, thrombotic events, and death in women giving birth with COVID-19 highlight the need for strategies to minimize risk, added these researchers.

As studies investigating therapies for COVID-19 have excluded mainly pregnant women, the data also underscore the importance of including this population in clinical trials of treatments and vaccines.

The U.S. CDC stated on December 29, 2020, ‘In general, the more people you interact with, the more closely you interact with them, and the longer that interaction, the higher your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19’.

‘If you decide to engage in public activities, continue to protect yourself by practicing everyday preventive actions.’

Furthermore, the CDC suggests these action items if you are pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic: Do not skip your prenatal care appointments; Talk to your healthcare provider about how to stay healthy and take care of yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic; If you don’t have a healthcare provider, contact your nearest community health center or health department; Call your healthcare provider or care team if you have concerns about your condition, your treatment, think you may have been exposed to COVID-19, have any new signs or symptoms of illness or any other questions.

These researchers did not disclose any industry conflicts of interest.

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