Pregnant women appear to have a higher risk of COVID-19 infection, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The study shows that the infection rate among pregnant women in Washington state was 70% higher than in adults of similar age in the state, EurekAlert reported.
He also found that infection rates in black pregnant women were two to four times higher than expected.
Pregnant women were not protected by COVID-19 in the first months of the pandemic, with the greatest burden of infection occurring in almost all racial / ethnic minority groups, the researchers wrote.
The study followed 240 women pregnant with COVID-19 in 35 hospitals and clinics from March to June 2020.
Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, OB-GYN at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said the study provides more evidence that pregnancy should be considered a high-risk health condition for vaccine priority.
“Our data indicates that pregnant women did not avoid the pandemic, as we hoped they would, and communities of color bore the greatest burden,” Waldorf said.
The study found that pregnant women who became infected had a COVID-associated hospitalization rate 3.5 times higher than the general population of similar age in Washington State.
Also, COVID mortality rates were 13 times higher in pregnant mothers than in people of similar age.
“The death rate has been shockingly high. We were very surprised by this, “said Waldorf.
“We are very concerned that maternal deaths associated with COVID-19 have been massively low nationally and that the impact on pregnant patients, especially with baseline conditions, is greater than currently underestimated,” she added.
The research also found that most women pregnant with COVID-19 had asymptomatic or mild cases and healthy pregnancies.
Of the 240 women pregnant with infections detected by June, three died of COVID-19, while another 24 were hospitalized.
The three who died came from ethnic minority groups and most of them had other conditions, such as obesity and hypertension, according to the study.
“Higher infection rates in pregnant patients may be due to over-representation of women in many professions and industries considered essential during the COVID-19 pandemic – including in the health, education, service sectors,” said Dr. Erica Lokken, author main. statement.
On Thursday, Pfizer / BioNTech announced the start of its clinical trial to evaluate the vaccine in pregnant women, according to USA Today.
The process will enroll approximately 4,000 healthy pregnant women over the age of 18 in North America, South America, Europe and Africa.
“It is time to take the next step and expand our clinical program to other vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women, to potentially protect both them and future generations,” said Dr. Özlem Türeci, medical director of BioNTech, according to the press.