Pregnant women appear to be at higher risk for infection from COVID-19, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The study shows that the infection rate among expectant women in Washington state was 70 percent higher than among age-matched adults in the state, EurekAlert reported.
It also found that the infection rate in pregnant women of color was two to four times higher than expected.
“Pregnant women were not protected from COVID-19 in the first months of the pandemic, with the greatest burden of infections occurring in nearly all racial / ethnic minority groups,” the researchers wrote.
The study followed 240 pregnant women with COVID-19 in 35 hospitals and clinics from March to June 2020.
Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, an 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 people did not avoid the pandemic as we hoped, and communities of color bore the greatest burden,” said Waldorf.
The study found that pregnant women who were infected had a 3.5 times higher COVID hospitalization rate than the comparable elderly general population in Washington state.
Also, COVID death rates were 13 times higher in pregnant mothers than in age-matched individuals.
“The death rate was shockingly high. We were very surprised by this, ”said Waldorf.
“We are deeply concerned that COVID-19-associated maternal deaths are hugely undervalued nationally and that the impact on pregnant patients, especially with underlying conditions, is greater than currently undervalued,” she added.
The study also found that most pregnant women with COVID-19 had asymptomatic or mild cases and healthy pregnancies.
Of the 240 pregnant women with infections detected through June, three died from COVID-19, while 24 others were hospitalized.
The three who died were from minority ethnic 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 the overrepresentation of women in many professions and industries considered essential during the COVID-19 pandemic – including health care, education, service sectors,” said Dr. Erica Lokken, the lead author, in a statement.
On Thursday, Pfizer / BioNTech announced the start of its clinical trial to evaluate the vaccine in pregnant women, USA Today said.
About 4,000 healthy pregnant women over the age of 18 will participate in the trial 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 them as well as future generations,” said Dr. Özlem Türeci, BioNTech’s chief medical officer, according to the outlet.