KUMJ | VOL. 18 | NO. 2 | ISSUE 70 | COVID-19 SPECIAL 2020
Revisiting Strategies for Maternal Health Care in the Face of COVID-19 Pandemic
Shrestha N, Dangal G
Abstract: Novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a new strain of coronavirus causing COVID-19,
first identified in Wuhan City, China towards the end of 2019. At present, there
is no evidence that pregnant women are more likely to be severely ill, need ICU
care, or die from the illness in comparison to non-pregnant adults. Evidences
suggest that vertical transmission, might be possible. We searched and retrieved
the published literature from PubMed and Google Scholar using various keywords.
We further searched the official webpages of various organizations for the updated
information.
Pregnant individuals in particular are encouraged to take all available precautions
to optimize health and avoid exposure to COVID-19. Adequate Testing should
be prioritized in pregnant women admitted with suspected COVID-19. When a
pregnancy is complicated by critical illness, the pregnant patient should ideally
be cared for at a Level III or IV hospital. In the face of COVID-19, antenatal fetal
surveillance and ultrasonography should continue as medically indicated when
possible and elective ultrasound examinations should not be performed. Maternal
immunizations continue to be an essential component of prenatal care and Obgyns
should
screen
all pregnant
individuals for
mental
health
issues.
Although
the
most
commonly
reported
sign in
COVID-19
is fever,
nevertheless,
other
causes
of
intrapartum
fever
should
not
be overlooked.
Cesarean
delivery
should
be based
on
obstetric indications and not COVID-19 status alone. Infants born to patients
with known COVID-19 should be considered infants with suspected COVID-19.
The suspected or confirmed COVID-19 mother and infant can be allowed to
remain together with enhanced precautions and suspected or confirmed maternal
COVID-19 is not a contraindication to breastfeeding. If both the mother and the
infant are healthy, it may be prudent to expedite discharge, so as to limit the risk
of inadvertent exposure and infection. The Ob-gyns should commit to providing
necessary care, although modifications to health care delivery approaches may be
necessary.
Keyword : COVID-19, Maternal health, Pregnancy
