Previous research has found that pregnant women are at high risk of complications from coronavirus. Now, new reports reconfirm the virus’s connection to adverse birth outcomes, specifically a dramatic increase in the risk of requiring intensive care.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report in October 2020 that pregnant women were 2 to 3 times more likely to require intensive care if they contract coronavirus compared to their non-pregnant counterparts. Additionally, hey were more likely to need intubation, ventilation, or ECMO. The risk of fatality was also higher.
CDC researchers considered 23,000 symptomatic pregnant patients over the course of the study but expressed concern that new variants of the coronavirus may exacerbate the risk.
Other, more recent reports have suggested the risk could be higher. According to CHVN Radio, who spoke with Dr. Joss Reimer, a Medical Director at Population and Public Health - Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, pregnant women are four times as likely to need intensive care.
Citing research that considered 6,000 pregnant women across Canada’s provinces and territories, Dr. Reimer said the risk quadruples in pregnant women compared to their non-pregnant counterparts.
However, CHVN added that new reports from early on in the third wave suggest the risk may be as high as 11 times for pregnant women with coronavirus compared to those who are not expecting.
Dr. Reimer emphasized the heightened risk should encourage pregnant women to get the vaccine as soon as possible. New research has demonstrated that COVID antibodies may be passed through breast milk, she explains, noting that it’s been detected in breast milk two weeks after maternal vaccination.
As of now, many experts and government agencies across the world encourage pregnant and postpartum women to get vaccinated due to the risks coronavirus poses when expecting. The CDC, for example, says the vaccine can protect pregnant women from a serious illness. They especially encourage it in instances where the expecting mother is at high risk of exposure.
The Canadian Government also specifically suggests pregnant women receive the vaccination, regardless of their stage in pregnancy. They cite a study conducted on 35,691 pregnant women in America who received a vaccine for coronavirus. The study did not find any apparent risk to the mother or unborn baby as a result of the vaccine.
Although pregnant women were originally excluded from the initial vaccine trials, new studies are underway to better understand the vaccine’s safety. Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun vaccine trials on expecting women, and are expected to release more details later this year.
Sources: CHVN Radio, Healthy Debate, CDC, CDC, Canadian Government,