04/28/2021 16:01
Clarín.com
World
Updated 04/28/2021 4:01 PM
The sharp increase in deaths of
pregnant women
by covid-19 worries the Brazilian authorities, which amid a worsening pandemic have asked to postpone pregnancy plans and accelerate the vaccination of future mothers.
It is not the first time that the authorities have asked to put pregnancy plans in the freezer.
In the middle of this month, when the deaths of infected pregnant and puerperal women began to be counted with concern, the Brazilian Ministry of Health recommended postponing pregnancies due to the unbridled advance of the pandemic.
The number of deaths from coronavirus of pregnant women and those who recently gave birth
more than doubled
so far this year in relation to the weekly average of the previous year.
The new, more contagious variants contributed to the infections.
A report highlighted that last year, since the pandemic began, 449 deaths from Covid-19 were registered in this vulnerable population, with a weekly average of
10.4.
In 2021, until mid-April, there were 289 fatalities among pregnant and postpartum people in Brazil.
Photo: AP
In 2021, until mid-April, there were 289 fatalities among pregnant and postpartum women, which represents a weekly average of
22.22
.
The Brazilian Obstetric Observatory Covid-19 emphasized that the mortality rate increased so far this year by 61.6% among the Brazilian population in general, but the increase was much more pronounced among pregnant and postpartum people: 145, 4%.
According to the secretary of Primary Health Care of the portfolio, Raphael Camara, at a press conference, the new variants, including the Brazilian one (P1), have been
more aggressive in pregnant women
, which is why he oriented women to postpone their pregnancies until the "situation is calmer."
"If possible, (we recommend) postponing pregnancy a little
for a better time
, so that they can have a calmer pregnancy (...) For a young woman who can choose her moment of pregnancy, the best thing to do is wait a little until the situation is somewhat calmer, "he said.
Vaccines: priority group
Brazil, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, included pregnant and postpartum women on Tuesday as
a priority group
for vaccination against covid-19, the Ministry of Health reported.
The Government had already recommended vaccination last March for pregnant and postpartum women with previous illnesses or complications, but now extended it to
all pregnant women
due to the lack of control of the pandemic in the country.
"Considering still the current pandemic moment in Brazil with the high circulation of Sars-CoV-2 and the increase in maternal deaths due to covid-19, at this moment it is highly probable that the risk profile versus the benefit of vaccination of the pregnant women
is favorable
, "the ministry explained in a statement.
CASES
0.000.00000.000
per million inhab.
Xxxxx
DEATHS
00,0000,000
per million inhab.
Source:
Johns Hopkins
Chart:
Flourish
|
Infographic:
Clarín
The Brazilian Government had already asked women to postpone pregnancy if possible due to the delicate situation in the country due to the expansion of covid-19, which already leaves 14.3 million cases and close to of
392,000 dead.
Despite the slight slowdown in the epidemiological curve, the pandemic
remains uncontrolled
in Brazil, the second country with the most deaths from covid-19, behind the United States, and the third in number of cases, after the North American nation and India.
Impact of covid on pregnant women and babies
José Villar, an Argentine doctor, born in Rosario, professor of perinatal medicine at the University of Oxford and who led a huge study on the impact of the coronavirus on pregnant women, said in an interview with Clarín that "the infection considerably increases the risk of complications of the mother, of the pathologies of the pregnancy, especially pre-eclampsia and of the newborn ".
For the doctor, "pregnant women represent a risk group due to the very fact of being pregnant and that they represent two people, the mother and the newborn, and that the complications
are serious
and therefore care should be taken."
He also recommended vaccination.
"Today vaccines are available and the authorities in different countries already recommend vaccination to pregnant women."
Camara, the secretary of Primary Health Care, added that "the clinical vision of specialists shows that the new variant has a more aggressive action in pregnant women. Before it was linked to the end of pregnancy, but now a more serious evolution is noted in the second, even in the first trimester. "
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