Fewer pregnant women had severe COVID-19 in the Omicron variant-era than during periods dominated by previous strains, and vaccinated patients were better protected than their unvaccinated peers, according to research published yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.Investigators from South Korea retrospectively examined the electronic medical records of 224 pregnant women who tested positive for COVID-19 and 82 quarantine deliveries from Nov 1, 2020, to Mar 7, 2022, at a single hospital.
Average maternal age was 32 years.Pregnant women admitted to the hospital before Jan 17, 2022 were considered to be infected with the Delta variant, while those after that date were considered infected with Omicron.
Of the 224 women, 39 (17%) were vaccinated, and 185 (83%) were unvaccinated against COVID-19.Most women in both the Delta and Omicron periods were in their third semester (53.1% and 73.4%, respectively), but the authors said the high percentages could be because many were admitted for delivery.The authors noted that the number of pregnant women infected with COVID-19 and having cesarean deliveries has risen steadily throughout the pandemic in South Korea.
The COVID-19 vaccination rate in pregnant women in that country is low, at 9.8%.Relative influence of Omicron, vaccination unknown Of the 224 women, 42% tested positive for COVID-19 amid Omicron, and 4.1% of vaccinated women and 25% of their unvaccinated counterparts in this period had severe illness.