Pregnant Women More Likely To Die From COVID-19, Study Finds

A new meta-study underscores the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women, who researchers have found are seven times more likely to die from the virus.

The study drew data from 12 separate researchers from as many countries, including the United States. When put together, the studies included more than 13,000 pregnant women, roughly 2,000 of whom had a confirmed or probable case of the coronavirus.

The Threat of COVID-19 on Pregnant Women

The health outcomes that the team found for these women and their babies were compared to roughly 11,000 pregnancies where the mother had tested negative for COVID-19 or antibodies to it at the time of their deliveries.

The researchers found that across the studies, roughly 3% of pregnant women who were infected with the coronavirus needed intensive care. They also found that 4% needed any kind of critical care. However, the numbers were significantly higher than the pregnant women who needed similar care outside of a COVID-19 infection, as per CNN.

The pregnant women who were infected with the virus were found to be almost four times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit compared to individuals who tested negative. The numbers showed that the infected women were 15 times more likely to be ventilated and seven times more likely to die from the virus.

Furthermore, the infected women were found to have higher risks for pre-eclampsia, blood clots, and problems caused by high blood pressure. Also, the study found that babies who were born from mothers who got infected with COVID-19 were at greater risk for preterm birth and low birth weights.

While previous studies suggested that COVID-19 infection could increase the risk of stillbirth, the latest research did not find any correlation. However, the team's findings still paint a clear picture that highlights the risks of pregnancy being amplified by the coronavirus.

Hesitancy Over Getting Vaccinated

George Washington University professor Emily Smith was the head of the latest research that synthesized data from 12 separate studies. One of the limitations of the research was that it did not consider the impacts of the different coronavirus variants on pregnant women, according to The Hill.

The team said that for the majority of the research, most of the infections were the result of one dominant variant across the globe. The researchers said that overall, the study says that a "global effort to improve access to safe preventives and therapeutics is an urgent priority."

The importance of the study comes as despite the growing knowledge of the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, many women who are of childbearing age continue to be unvaccinated. In some instances, many women either hesitate or refuse to be vaccinated or boosted.

Their reasoning is that they generally do not believe that the virus poses any significant threat or are unsure about the safety of the vaccine themselves during their pregnancy. Smith added that some doctors could even hesitate to give the vaccine to pregnant women despite it being recommended. These factors have led to a decreased rate of vaccinations worldwide.