COVID -19 second wave affecting more pregnant women in India, says doctors

The medical community in India are concerned that the second wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is affecting more pregnant women. Doctors say that a far higher number of pregnant women are being infected than last year.

According to media reports, 19 pregnant women have died due to COVID-19 in Kerala in the last three months. In April alone 17 pregnant women aged 25-35 died in Mumbai. COVID-19 can lead to more complications during pregnancy due to changes in their bodies and immune systems.

A recent Centre for Disease Control study suggests that physiological changes in pregnancy such as increased heart rate and oxygen consumption and decreased lung capacity, make pregnant women more vulnerable to COVID-19.

The study also concluded that there was a 70 per cent increased risk of death associated with pregnancy, compared to women who were not pregnant.

The United States had last November added pregnancy to its list of underlying medical conditions associated with high risk for severe COVID-19. Doctors also said there are also some limitations in treating pregnant women who have COVID-19. Pregnant women are not yet permitted to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by the Union government.