Brazil on Friday urged women to delay getting pregnant until the worst pandemic passes, saying the virus variant devastating the South American country appears to affect expectant mothers more than previous versions of the coronavirus.
The recommendation comes as Brazil continues to be one of the global epicenters of the pandemic, with more Brazilians dying from the virus every day than anywhere else in the world.
Hospitals are under pressure, and stocks of medicines needed to intubate seriously ill patients are dangerously low, with Brazil turning to international partners for emergency care.
“If possible, delay the pregnancy a little until a better time,” Health Ministry official Raphael Parente told a news conference on Friday.
He said the recommendation was partly due to stress on the health system, but also due to the easier-to-pass-through Brazilian variant, known as P.1.
The clinical experience of specialists shows that this new variant acts more aggressively in pregnant women, said Parente.
Previously, COVID-19 cases during pregnancy focused on the final trimester and birth, while more recently there have been more severe cases in the second trimester and occasionally in the first trimester, he said.
Parents did not give details.
The P.1 variant, first discovered in the city of Amazon Manaus, quickly became dominant in Brazil. It is believed to be a major factor behind a second massive wave of infections that has brought the country’s death toll to over 350,000 – the second largest in the world behind the United States.
The outbreak in Brazil is affecting more and more young people, with hospital data showing that in March more than half of intensive care patients were 40 years of age or younger. Read more
President Jair Bolsonaro opposed the blockade and organized large events in which he often does not wear a mask. He recently embraced vaccines as a possible solution, but the launch of inoculation was affected by delays and missed targets to inoculate people.
This week, vaccinations were stopped in several cities due to lack of vaccine supply, according to local media.
The increase in COID-19 cases has also left hospitals lacking the sedatives needed by patients in need of mechanical ventilation.
An emergency shipment of drugs arrived in Brazil late Thursday from China, while donations from Spain are expected to arrive next week.
Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have both sounded the alarm about the shortages, with Sao Paulo’s health secretary declaring this week that the city’s ability to care for seriously ill COVID-19 patients is on the verge of collapse.
Despite the shortage of medicines and 85% of the intensive care beds occupied, Sao Paulo announced on Friday that it will begin reopening shops and restaurants, saying the number of new hospitalizations has dropped enough to make it safe.
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.