COVID-19 in pregnant women in South Africa; a retrospective review

Abstract

Objective: To describe the prevalence, profile and clinical outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary facility in Gauteng, South Africa Design: Retrospective review Setting: An academic hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa Population: Two-hundred and four (204) pregnant women with COVID-19 admitted between 6 March and 30 August 2020 Methods: Patient data was captured on discharge or death from paper-based clinical files onto a digital database Main Outcome Measures: Rates of mortality and/or admission to ICU, symptomatic versus asymptomatic disease, maternal and fetal outcome and mode of delivery. Results: A final cohort of 204 pregnant women were included in the study. Thirty three (16.2%) women were critically ill, with 21 (10.3%) admitted to the ICU and 3 (1.5%) deaths related to COVID-19. Conclusions: COVID-19 related mortality in our cohort was higher than that seen internationally, likely due to differences in background maternal mortality rates and difficulty in accessing care.