COVID-19 Vaccination Status among Pregnant and Postpartum Women-A Cross-Sectional Study on More Than 1000 Individuals.

Pregnancy is a well-known factor for vaccine hesitancy and immunization remains the most effective form of prevention against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related complications. The objective was to estimate vaccine uptake and hesitancy rate, characteristics, and factors contributing to a decision-making process among pregnant and postpartum individuals. This was a prospective cross-sectional study on 1033 pregnant (54.1%) and postpartum (45.9%) women conducted between December 2021 and March 2022 in a tertiary center for maternal-fetal medicine. Logistic regression was used to assess characteristics related to the vaccination decision process. Among responders, 74% were vaccinated and 26% were hesitant (9% planning to vaccinate and 17% totally opposed). Only 59.8% were offered a vaccine by healthcare professionals. Women with higher levels of education (OR 2.26, p < 0.0001), who received positive feedback about vaccination (OR 2.74, p = 0.0172), or were informed about COVID-19 complications in pregnancy (OR 2.6, p < 0.0001) were most likely to accept the vaccination. Hesitancy was associated with multiparity (≥3, OR 4.76, p = 0.006), worse educational status (OR 2.29, p < 0.0001), and lack of previous COVID-19 infection (OR 1.89, p < 0.0001). The most common reason for rejection was insufficient safety data (57%). Understanding factors behind vaccination status is crucial in lowering complications in mothers and newborns and targeted action may facilitate the uptake.

COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Anxiety in Pregnant Women.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak influenced general and mental health worldwide. The objective of this study was to assess the anxiety level during the COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant women and compare it between COVID-infected and non-infected groups. We prospectively assessed the daily routine and anxiety level using a bespoke questionnaire and GAD-7 scale validated for pregnant women. With logistic regression, we established possible risk factors of generalized anxiety disorder spectrum and main causes of concern. The dataset included 439 responders of our survey. Of which, 21% had COVID-19 infection during pregnancy; 38% were screened for possible generalized anxiety disorder and the proportion was higher in women who suffered from COVID-19 (48% vs. 35%, p = 0.03). Pre-pregnancy anxiety or depression diagnosis and intentional social contact avoidance increased the risk of anxiety (aOR 3.4 and 3.2). Fetal wellbeing was the main concern for 66% of the responders. The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions substantially altered daily lives of pregnant women, exaggerating the prevalence of anxiety compared with the pre-COVID-19 studies (38% vs. 15%). COVID-19 infection during pregnancy was associated with increased levels of generalized anxiety scores. Patient-tailored psychological support should be a mainstay of comprehensive antenatal medical care in order to avoid anxiety- and stress-related complications.

No COVID-19 Cases Detected Between April and September 2020 After Screening All 838 Admissions to a Maternity Unit in Poland.

BACKGROUND Between April and September 2020, there were <10 000 reported cases of COVID-19 in the Masovia district, Poland, and <1000 new cases daily in Poland. During this period, all new hospital admissions to a maternity unit of a teaching hospital in Warsaw were screened for the COVID-19 infection. This retrospective study presents the findings from the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study included 838 women admitted for delivery between April 20 and September 20, 2020. All the admitted women were assigned to a low-risk or a high-risk group for COVID-19 and underwent RT-PCR nasopharyngeal swab tests (GeneFinder™-COVID-19-Plus-RealAmpKit. OSANG Healthcare Co., Ltd., Gyeonggi-do, Korea) for COVID-19. The testing protocol included repeated testing in case of inconclusive results or negative results in the symptomatic patients. The maternal and neonatal data from these cases were collected and analyzed. RESULTS All of the 838 women tested negative for COVID-19. Two women (0.24%) were classified as high risk for COVID-19. For 4 (0.48%) women, the results were initially inconclusive and negative when repeated. One hundred and eighty-one (21.5%) women presented with comorbidities, and 60 (7.2%) women were ≥40 years old. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study show that between April and September 2020, there were no cases of COVID-19 infections at the maternity unit of a teaching hospital in Warsaw, Poland. However, the infection rates for COVID-19 across Europe continue to change. Testing protocols have been developed and established for all hospital admissions and it is anticipated that testing methods will become more rapid and accurate.