CDC Data updated to help understand how COVID-19 affects pregnancy

COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly for at least eight months and there is much that remains unknown.

Those who have pre-existing medical conditions are at a higher risk of catching and being severely impacted by this deadly virus. Pregnant women are among those at a heightened risk for severe illness from COVID-19 according to an MMWR study and should take extra safety precautions to protect themselves and their unborn baby.

A recent article published in early December by the National Institutes of Health claims that a vast majority of pregnant women who contract COVID-19 would not have complications. Although this new information is relieving to some, many are still being very precocious and doing all they can to protect themselves and their families from the virus.

To learn more about how this virus may affect pregnant women, the CDC has collected and studied data on pregnant women who have tested positive for COVID-19 from now since January 22.

According to the CDC there have been 39,857 positive COVID-19 cases amongst pregnant women with 53 of those cases resulting in death.

Monica Gonzalez, a second time mom who was pregnant during COVID-19, said there was a lot of confusion throughout her pregnancy.

Although Gonzalez took a lot of safety precautions to protect herself and her family from the virus, her husband, who works at a hospital, got sick and tested positive for COVID-19 during her pregnancy.

Months later Gonzalez’s child has been born and her family, including her husband, is healthy. To hear how COVID-19 impacted Gonzalez’s life listen to her share her story.

Source List

Brea Jones — VIC 4001 — Data/Interview Story Source List

Approved story idea: CDC data on COVID-19 during Pregnancy.

Secondary sources: previously published pieces

1. Pregnancy during a pandemic: a difficult time for doulas, Link

2. Effects of COVID-19 Infection during Pregnancy and Neonatal Prognosis: What Is the Evidence?, Link

3. Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Pregnancy: A Clinical Management Protocol and Considerations for Practice, Link

Primary sources

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/pregnancy-breastfeeding.html
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/pregnancy-and-covid-19/art-20482639
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/special-populations/pregnancy-data-on-covid-19/what-cdc-is-doing.html

Interview subjects

Monica Gonzalez, recent new mother
themes to discuss: what has been her experience of being pregnant during COVID-19