Science, health and technology
May 2, 2022 | Contact us for more information Brett Goldhawk
As Canada faces a sixth wave of COVID-19 infections, researchers at UBC’s School of Medicine are urging pregnant women to remain vigilant based on data from Canada’s first national, peer-reviewed study of COVID-19 during pregnancy.
Findings published today in JAMA show that pregnant women infected with COVID-19 are at greater risk of hospitalization, admission to intensive care units (ICUs) and early births.
Dr. Deborah Money
“Despite easing many restrictions in Canada, COVID-19 is still with us, and people who are not vaccinated and pregnant remain particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes,” said Dr. Deborah Money, a professor in the department. of UBC Obstetrics and Gynecology, who leads the national research project.
“It is important for pregnant women to consider the increased risk and to take appropriate steps to protect themselves and their babies by getting vaccinated, boosting and avoiding exposure to COVID-19 where possible.
Understanding the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy
In March 2020, Dr. Money launched the CANCOVID-Preg research program in collaboration with researchers from across the country and with the support of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Since then, the team has collected and analyzed data from six Canadian provinces to understand how COVID-19 affects pregnancy and pregnant individuals.
“When we started, there were very limited data on COVID-19 during pregnancy. However, we were dealing with a new virus, “added Dr. Money. “We knew we needed to better understand what happens when someone gets COVID-19 during pregnancy and what the effects are on the baby and the parent.
As of October 31, 2021, there were a total of 8,786 reported cases of COVID-19 during pregnancy in Canada. The researchers analyzed the results in mothers and pregnancies of 6,012 of these cases, comparing the results with non-pregnant women and pregnant people who were not infected with COVID-19.
“We began to gather data, and it quickly became clear that we were seeing an increase in complications among pregnant women infected with COVID-19,” said Dr. Money.
Increased risk of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit
Among 6012 cases of COVID-19 during pregnancy, 466 (7.75%) required hospitalization and 121 (2.01%) were admitted to the intensive care unit.
Dr. Elizabeth McClimont
“It’s disturbing when you compare these numbers to the percentages of non-pregnant individuals,” explains Dr. Elizabeth McClimont (she), a UBC postdoctoral fellow and first author of the study. “Overall, people who are pregnant are 2.65 times more likely to need hospitalization and 5.46 times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit than non-pregnant individuals.
According to the study, this risk increases with age, existing high blood pressure and if the individuals were further away in their pregnancy at the time of diagnosis.
The good news, the researchers say, is that none of the patients who received two doses of the vaccine had any adverse effects on the mother.
“Vaccination continues to be safe during pregnancy and is the most effective way for pregnant women to protect themselves and their babies,” adds Dr. McClimont.
Increased risk of premature birth
The researchers also looked at whether or not COVID-19 infections led to an increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although the stillbirth rate did not increase significantly among COVID-19-affected pregnancies, the study found that women who became infected with COVID-19 were more likely to have premature births.
Overall, the preterm birth rate (before 37 weeks of gestation) was 11.1% among COVID-19-affected pregnancies, compared with only 6.8% among those not affected. This increased risk is present even in mild cases of COVID-19 that do not require hospitalization.
“Premature births can have serious and lifelong effects on the baby,” says Dr. McClimont. “Our results underscore the importance of preventive measures, such as vaccination, that can help reduce COVID-19 infection in pregnant women.
In the future, the research team will take a closer look at babies born to mothers with COVID-19, looking to see if there are short-term and long-term health effects.
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