Symptomatic COVID-19 Cases Among Pregnant Women At 28.7% During Second Wave: ICMR

ICMR Report on Pregnant women during second wave: As the positive case of COVID-19 spiked during the second wave of the pandemic in all categories and age groups, the number of COVID-positive pregnant women also skyrocketed. The number of symptomatic cases among pregnant and postpartum women reached 28.7% from 14.2 % during the first wave, according to a report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The report also stated that the case fatality rate also rose to 5.7% during the second wave as compared to the 0.7% rate during the first wave.

When SheThePeople reached out to gynaecologists, most confirmed that the number of positive cases among pregnant women has been on the rise since the second wave of COVID-19 hit India in 2021.

Dr Priyanka Sapra, an obstetrician and gynaecologist practising in Gurugram, Haryana said, " If there were two of ten COVID-19 positive pregnant reaching out for consultation last year, in the second wave the cases reached five to six. "

Doctors also stressed making vaccination of pregnant woman a high priority. In May-end, the government of India made pregnant women eligible for vaccination. However, the decision to get vaccinate was on women as the government stated that there have not been enough studies regarding the safety profile of the vaccines on pregnant women.

One needs a certificate from their doctor stating that the pregnant women taking the decision to vaccinate at her own will.

Dr Sudeshna Ray wrote, "Logically, the Vaccination should not cause any major side effects in pregnancy either to the mother or to the fetus. And the benefits of being protected against COVID 19 is definitely desirable during pregnancy".

In early June, a report published by PTI had doctors recommending COVID-19 to women. The report that was prepared by Safdarjung Hospital and Yamini Sarwal of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College of Delhi stated, "We recommend including COVID-19 vaccination in the routine protocol for antenatal care in all countries, particularly India and Indonesia, in view of their high dual burden."

In the report, the doctors highlighted that the vaccination policies for pregnant women are ambiguous as the decision is left to women. It added that pregnant women at an increased risk of 70 per cent as compared to non-pregnant women. If infected by coronavirus they experience high risk due to the severe complications of COVID-19.