Pregnant people who contracted Covid-19 were more than twice as likely to experience significant complications as those who did not have the virus during the first year of the pandemic, according to a new study.
... [+]looked at medical records of almost 44,o00 pregnant people during the first year of the pandemic at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, finding 1,332 individuals who had a documented Covid-19 infection. The study found that the chance of experiencing poor outcomes was more than doubled in those who had Covid-19 during pregnancy compared to those who did not.
“These findings add to the growing evidence that having Covid-19 during pregnancy raises risks of serious complications,” explained Assiamira Ferrara, MD, PhD, lead author of the work, senior research scientist and associate director of the women’s and children health section in the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.
The complications documented included preterm birth, blood clots and severe maternal complications including blood infections and respiratory distress. Overall, 5.7% of people with Covid-19 during pregnancy were hospitalized. “Coupled with the evidence that the Covid-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy, these findings should aid patients in understanding the risks of perinatal complications and the need for vaccination,” said Ferrara.