The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study on October 22 with updated information about pregnant people and the coronavirus.
According to the study, which collected data from 27,566 women, the racial/ethnic group with the highest rates of the virus was Hispanic or Latino, reporting 9,363 cases. Black non-Hispanic women made up 4,598 positive COVID-19 cases in the study.
The study also showed that pregnant women between the ages of 25 and 29 had higher instances of the virus, with 8,028 cases, followed by pregnant women in their early thirties with 6,876 positive cases.
While the CDC and other public health institutions take steps to learn more about the virus, available data show that pregnant people are more likely to be admitted to intensive care units and have complications from the virus compared to people who are not pregnant.
For pregnant people of color, this information comes with additional caution as previously reported data showed significantly higher maternal mortality rates in Black and Hispanic/Latino racial/ethnic groups.The higher mortality rates have been linked to inequity in healthcare access based on race and socioeconomic status.
Between January 22 and October 20, the CDC reported a total of 44 deaths of pregnant people with COVID-19. The CDC says the study should be “interpreted with caution” as the collected data do not include information on pregnancy two-thirds of the time, though weekly improvements are being made in data collection. More accurate data is being collected as the CDC continues to work with state and local healthcare facilities to gather accurate and complete information.
CDC officials maintain guidelines on washing hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing as preventative measures to combat the spread of the virus. For pregnant people, those who are breastfeeding or caring for newborns, the CDC recommends taking additional caution while spending time with people outside of immediate family members. The agency also encourages pregnant people to continue seeking healthcare during and after the pregnancy, especially emergency care.
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