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The Delta COVID-19 variant increases the risk of complications in unvaccinated pregnant women, according to a recent study.
The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, analyzed the trend of severe COVID-19 disease in pregnant women as the highly transmissible delta variant became the predominant strain.
From May 2020 to September 2021, 1,515 pregnant women were diagnosed with COVID-19 in a Dallas public health system, including 82 severe cases (81 among unvaccinated patients) and 11 requiring mechanical ventilation. The study authors reported two maternal deaths.
COVID-19 VACCINATION IN PREGNANT WOMEN REMAINS LOW DESPITE A SERIOUS RISK
The results indicated that about 5% of pregnant patients struggled with severe COVID-19 until around March 2021, and before increasing to 10-15% by the end of summer, in mid-summer. ‘a thrust due to the delta.
Dr Emily Adhikar, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and principal investigator of the study, spoke to the Dallas Morning News about her concerns about the future implications for pregnant women who do not have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I am concerned about what the future holds for pregnant women who have not been vaccinated,” Adhikari told the outlet. “We have seen sicker patients with this latest variant, so that means we need to vaccinate as many people as possible.”
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The study concluded that pregnant women diagnosed with the delta variant were more likely to have serious illness, and those who were also unvaccinated were more likely to be hospitalized. Dr Aaron Glatt, an infectious disease specialist and spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, who was not directly involved in the study, told Health Day: “If you are pregnant and you contract COVID-19, you are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill.
Researchers urged pregnant women to get vaccinated as the best method to prevent COVID-19. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert urging pregnant women or those trying to become pregnant to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
As of September 27, 2021, CDC data shows more than 125,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in pregnant women, 22,000 of which have resulted in hospitalization, with 161 deaths. Despite the serious risk, the CDC reports that only about 31% of pregnant women aged 18 to 49 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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