Covid 19 Part XXIV-37,063 ROI (1,801 deaths) 12,886 NI (582 deaths) (02/10) Read OP

SARS-CoV-2 test positivity in individuals in labor was associated with a higher prevalence of preeclampsia and lower prevalence of induction of labor. COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory infection but also has systemic effects that may resemble preeclampsia.3 The absence of an increased prevalence of preterm birth is concordant with results of 2 previous studies using comparators.4,5 The lack of difference in Apgar scores and birth weight for gestational age between groups is similar to that in a US study.4

In light of other accumulating data, it is already clear that COVID-19 is less severe in pregnancy than the 2 previous coronavirus infections: severe acute respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (MERS). Nevertheless, there are reports of pregnant persons requiring critical care, and there have been other reports of both mother and infant deaths in association with COVID-19.6

Strengths of this study include the universal testing, providing pregnancy comparators with negative test results. Limitations include uncertainty regarding generalizability to other countries with different obstetric care, timing of the RT-PCR test, and limited statistical power for rare outcomes and for a stratified analysis by symptoms.

Eclampsia and preeclampsia account for approximately 63,000 maternal deaths annually worldwide. [31] In developed countries, the maternal death rate is reportedly 0-1.8%. The perinatal mortality rate from eclampsia in the United States and Great Britain ranges from 5.6% to 11.8%. The maternal mortality rate is as high as 14% in developing countries.