ABSTRACT
Background & Purpose: Pregnant women are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant women, particularly in the third trimester1. Despite ongoing campaigns, the proportion of pregnant women vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 is lower than in the general population2. The medium-term effects of COVID-19 during pregnancy are not well characterized. We report a cohort of pregnant women admitted to hospital with moderate-to-severe COVID-19. Method(s): Data from clinical records were retrospectively collected from all pregnant women admitted through the maternity assessment unit at St. Thomas' Hospital, between January 2021 and January 2022, due to COVID-19 requiring oxygen to maintain saturations >94%. Result(s): Fourteen women were identified (age=33.4+/-5.2 years;42.8% Caucasian;28.6% Black), requiring admission at 31+/-4.7 weeks gestation. Only two were double vaccinated (14.2%). Body mass index (BMI) was 27.2+/-6.4 kg/m2. Two women had concomitant co-morbidities (asthma and type 1 diabetes). They were managed in the obstetric high- dependency unit (level 1), barring one that required invasive ventilation for one day. The Delta variant was most commonly implicated (43%). All women requiring oxygen received steroids. Four women received Tocilizumab and three casirivimab/imdevimab;two received both. Four women were delivered by emergency Caesarean section due to maternal or fetal concerns, while the others continued their pregnancies. There was one late intrauterine death at 35 weeks. Women were followed-up for an average of six weeks. At follow-up in the obstetric medicine COVID-19 clinic, all women had complete resolution of COVID-19 on clinical examination, pulse oximetry and chest radiograph. Conclusion(s): In 14 pregnant women requiring admission to hospital for hypoxia secondary to moderate-to-severe COVID-19, concomitant co-morbidities and high BMI were not prevalent. Most were not vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. Despite experiencing moderate-to-severe COVID-19, they had complete clinical and radiological resolution at six weeks follow-up.