The Delta variant of the coronavirus is dominating cases around the world, and health officials in some countries are alarming over its impact on pregnant women.
According to CNN, reports Telegrafi, some of the leading health officials of England issued a joint statement on Friday, calling on pregnant women to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
They noted new data showing that 98 per cent of pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 in the country since May were unvaccinated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also previously said that infected, pregnant women face an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease, compared to non-pregnant women of a similar age.
One concern is that the risk may be even higher with the Delta variant, which has been shown to be more contagious and can cause more serious illnesses compared to previous variants of the virus.
Here’s what you need to know.
Is the Delta variant more dangerous if you are pregnant?
The Delta variant is more contagious and can cause more serious illness for everyone, including pregnant women.
Recent data collected by the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) showed that the number of pregnant women admitted to hospital with COVID-19 is increasing in the UK due to the Delta variant, reports CNN, reports Telegrafi.
“Compared to the original COVID-19 virus, the new variants (alpha and then delta) caused more serious illness in pregnant women,” said Andrew Shennan, professor of obstetrics at King’s College London, in a statement to the Center for Scientific Media in the UK. United. “This included the need for ventilation, intensive care and pneumonia,” he added.
Data collected by UKOSS show that about 33 percent of women in hospital with COVID-19 needed respiratory support and that 15 percent needed intensive care.
UKOSS data include only pregnant women. However, the group said that while the increase in hospital admissions was broadly in line with the current increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions in the general population of the United Kingdom, the data show an increase among pregnant women in need of care for acute symptoms.
But what about the risks to the baby?
Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 infection raises the risk of adverse outcomes for both mother and baby. These risks include preeclampsia, infections, admission to intensive care units in the hospital, and even death.
According to an April study published by JAMA Pediatrics that monitored over 2,000 pregnant women at 43 medical institutions in 18 countries, babies born to mothers infected with coronavirus were also at a somewhat higher risk for premature birth and weight gain. low birth rate.
New data collected by UKOSS showed that one in five hospitalized women with severe COVID-19 symptoms continued to give birth prematurely, and the likelihood of giving birth by cesarean section doubled. One in five babies born to mothers with coronavirus symptoms were also admitted to neonatal units.
Is the vaccine safe for pregnant women?
Yes. “Real world” studies and data have shown that there are no specific safety concerns for pregnant women or their babies when receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Hundreds of thousands of pregnant women around the world have been vaccinated, protecting themselves safely and effectively from COVID-19 and dramatically reducing their risk of serious illness or harm to their baby,” said Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives in the UK in a statement on Friday.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the UK Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization all advise pregnant women to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The WHO says pregnant women should get the vaccine in situations where the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks – such as if they live in areas with a large number of cases, reports CNN, Telegrafi reports.
Some countries have even given preference to immunization in pregnant women. The Australian Government said that anyone who is pregnant and over the age of 16 can get the vaccine now, although the slow application of vaccination there means that only those over the age of 40 are currently eligible for vaccination among the population of general.
Canadian provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia have also given priority to vaccination for pregnant women.
But the view is mixed all over the world. According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University (JHU), 20 countries currently recommend the use of the Covid-19 vaccine in pregnant women, while 39 allow it.
Meanwhile 33 other countries allow vaccines in some situations – for example if expectant mothers are at increased risk of becoming infected with Covid-19 because of her work or if there is an existing disease that puts them at risk of developing of serious diseases.
According to JHU data, 51 countries either do not recommend the vaccine at all during pregnancy, or only under certain conditions. Countries include Germany, which cited a lack of safety data as the reason for its position because pregnant women were not part of the safety tests.
