Impact of vaccination and the omicron variant on COVID-19 severity in pregnant women.

We compared the clinical course of pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) before and after the emergence of the omicron variant and based on vaccination status. We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical charts of 224 patients and 82 deliveries from November 1, 2020, to March 7, 2022; of these, 42% were diagnosed during the omicron dominance period. Disease severity and morbidity of COVID-19 were significantly decreased during the omicron era. The vaccination rates among the patients were higher after omicron emergence (31.9%) than before (6.9%). Overall, 4.1% and 25% of patients had severe symptoms, and 2.6% and 16.2% required oxygen therapy in the vaccination and non-vaccination groups, respectively. Overall, patients had a more favorable clinical course in the omicron era; moreover, vaccinated patients were better protected than non-vaccinated patients, indicating the importance of vaccination against COVID-19.

Prediction of Adverse Outcomes among Women in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy with Coronavirus Disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics of two groups of women (favorable and adverse outcome groups) in the third trimester of pregnancy with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to investigate the predictors of specific adverse outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between November 2020 and October 2021 at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital. Adverse outcomes were clinically defined using the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Emergency Response Epidemiology Team criteria. The group without adverse outcomes was defined as the "favorable outcome" group and the rest as the "adverse outcome" group. We compared the clinical characteristics between the two groups and examined the correlation between their laboratory results and adverse outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 70 pregnant women included, 37 were in their third trimester. No significant differences in clinical characteristics, except the length of hospitalization, were noted between the groups. In laboratory tests conducted immediately after hospitalization, C-reactive protein (CRP) (1.0 [0.3 - 1.4] vs. 2.3 [1.3 - 3.6], P = 0.001) and ferritin (25.0 [14.5 - 34.5] vs. 53.1 [36.0 - 98.0], P <0.03) levels were significantly different between the groups. Logistic regression analysis revealed that CRP (odds ratio [OR]: 2.26; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09 - 5.51, P = 0.040) and ferritin (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01 - 1.15, P = 0.047) levels were predictors of adverse outcomes. CONCLUSION: CRP and ferritin levels are associated with poor prognosis and can predict adverse outcomes in women with COVID-19 in the third trimester of pregnancy.