Severe maternal morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19: The risk should not be downplayed

ABSTRACT

Nordic countries have a long tradition of collecting health related population data meticulously and reporting them transparently. Such data provide firm grounds for making good decisions and as a result the public health institutions in Scandinavia enjoy the trust of society. The Covid­19 pandemic has, however, resulted in a completely new situation as we are now exploring in uncharted waters. Based on reports from China, Italy, USA and perhaps with the good intention of reducing anxiety among this vulnerable population group, it has been widely publicized that pregnant women are not at increased risk of susceptibility, infectivity and severity of COVID­19 compared to the general population or non­pregnant women, although a systematic review of 108 cases of laboratory confirmed pregnancies with COVID­19 has reported the possibility of increased risk of severe disease among pregnant women.(AU)