600 premature babies born to mothers taken to hospital with Covid-19

[ad_1]

The Independent revealed that more than 600 babies were born prematurely and needed critical maternal care in hospital before Covid-19 – with women being warned they are up to three times more likely to be born prematurely with the virus.

The figures, covering 17 months of the pandemic, have prompted calls for the government to make pregnant women of all ages eligible for the Covid-19 booster vaccines.

Concern about pregnant women avoiding the vaccine has prompted chief medical officer Chris Whitty to urge expectant mothers to get the full shot, with intake rates as low in this group as high as 15 percent last month.

Data revealed by The Independent from a national maternity conference showed that of the 3,306 babies born to mothers admitted to hospital with Covid-19 between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and July 2021, 694 were born prematurely and of those 604 were born prematurely. They had to be admitted to the intensive care unit.

Dr Patrick O’Brien, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG), said there had been preventable admissions of women into intensive care, and even deaths.

“This is a global view among clinicians, among midwife advisory groups, and among scientific advisory groups,” he said. “So, can I please encourage all women who are pregnant or want to become pregnant to receive the vaccination.”

Professor Marian Knight, one of the leading experts on maternal mortality, has shared data from the UK’s obstetric monitoring system showing that between February and September this year, more than 1,000 pregnant women were hospitalized with Covid-19, about 98 per cent of whom were not vaccinated. . .

She said the risk of preterm births was the most significant impact of Covid-19 on pregnant women “that hasn’t really been talked about or recognized”.

“We know that if you were admitted with symptoms of Covid, during pregnancy, you, as a woman, would have a one in 10 chance of being in intensive care,” she said. “But you have a one in five chance of having a baby before your due date.

“This is two to three times higher than the risk of having a premature baby without Covid.”

Prof Knight said it had been “really difficult” for pregnant women because the messages about vaccination had changed over the past year.

However, she and Dr. O’Brien have called for all pregnant women to be made eligible for booster vaccinations – following a similar move last week by their US counterparts.

Current guidance from the UK Joint Committee on Immunization and Vaccines (JCVI) is that only pregnant women over 40 years of age or within a clinically exposed group are eligible.

Professor Knight’s numbers show that 13 pregnant women died during a Covid wave in February 2021 after being hospitalized with the disease, compared to 11 and nine in the previous two waves.

Dr O’Brien said: “Pregnant women are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 infection, and serious infections can put their babies at risk due to premature birth. We urge the government to ensure that there is a plan for pregnant women to receive the booster vaccine as winter sets in.

“Many pregnant women will reach the point where they get their second Covid-19 vaccine six months ago, and it is critical that they and their babies remain protected.”

“The virus does not directly affect children, but rather causes the child to be born early,” he explained.

Births before 28 weeks increase the risk of severe long-term harm, while babies are well after 34 weeks.

Professor Asmaa Khalil, from the Royal College of Neonatologists, added: “We know that prematurity is associated with a greater risk of disability as well as a greater chance of needing admission to a neonatal unit.

“I think if you put it all together, Covid can harm the mother and the baby, and we know that the best way to protect the mother and the baby is to get vaccinated.”

They moved him without letting us see him.

Asia, from southeast London, spoke to The Independent about the ‘horrific’ experience of giving birth to her son Daniel at 28 weeks after contracting Covid-19 last December, before vaccines were available.

Before his birth, 35-year-old Asia, who was seven months pregnant, contracted Covid-19 along with her husband.

Asia and baby Daniel in the neonatal unit

()

“All of a sudden, after about five days, I thought I felt fewer movements than the baby,” she said. “They took me to A&E, and then took me to the labor ward. The next day they said the baby was in respiratory distress, we had to get him out of the house and I would have to have an emergency caesarean.”

Although her husband was outside of isolation, infection control rules meant he was not allowed at the birth, nor was he able to see his wife at first.

“They showed me my baby for a second and then showed him to my husband and then they sent him to the neonatal unit,” Asya said.

“Daniel was born very small and tested positive for Covid-19. He had to be intubated, he was bleeding in his brain and due to bleeding in his lung, they transferred him to another hospital to a higher level neonatal unit. They moved him without allowing us to see him and he was not allowed Let us visit him first.”

In the end, Asya and her husband were able to see their son, but separately and once a day through “multiple layers of PPE”.

Daniel remained in the neonatal unit for eight weeks. Describing her experience during this time, Asya said, “It was really hard. One of the hardest things was the problem of pumping breast milk… I didn’t have that much milk, probably because of the trauma and separation from it, but it was really important for me to keep on my supply so I can finally breastfeed.”

She told how scary it was for her and her husband when they got back from the hospital and had to leave Daniel behind.

Doctors do not yet know definitively whether Covid or a urinary tract infection (UTI) contributed to Daniel’s premature birth.

However, Asya said, “If I had had the possibility of getting a vaccine, I would. I’ve had both vaccines now and I’m going to get the booster. And I highly recommend that pregnant women get it. It’s really sad to wonder what would have happened if I had had it.” vaccination at that time.

Daniel is now fine and healthy at 10 months old.

Throughout the trial, Asya and her husband were supported by Camp Simcha, a national charity that supports critically ill children in the Jewish community.

Daniel Gillies, CEO and head of service, said the organization has seen a 150 percent increase in the number of premature and sick babies who need support compared to 2020.

[ad_2]