SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and maternal-perinatal outcomes among pregnant women admitted for delivery: Experience from COVID-19-dedicated maternity hospital in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir (India)

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women and their neonates is an area of research interest nowadays. To date, there is limited knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 prevalence, maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women at term in middle- and low-income countries. In the present retro-prospective study, medical records of pregnant women admitted for delivery were reviewed from the largest Covid-19 dedicated Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) maternity hospital. The SARS-CoV-2 screening was carried out for all pregnant women admitted for delivery using RT-PCR. All neonates born from SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers were isolated and tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most of the pregnant women (90.6%) were asymptomatic at the time of admission with a low prevalence (3.4%) of SARS-CoV-2. A higher rate of asymptomatic prevalence (86.1%) was found among SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant women. On the basis of the RT-PCR result (negative vs. positive), statistically significant differences were found for maternal characteristics, such as mean gestational age (37.5 +/- 2.2 vs. 36.6 +/- 3.3), medical comorbidity (2.9% vs. 7.4%), and maternal outcomes like the C-section rate (29.8% vs. 58.3%), preterm delivery (14.6% vs. 28.3), and neonatal outcomes like mean birth weight (2840 +/- 450 vs. 2600 +/- 600), low Apgar score (2.7% vs. 6.48%), and fetal distress (10.9% vs. 22.2%) among SARS-CoV-2 negative and positive cases, respectively. No neonate from SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant women was found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Automated summary

The study focuses on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pregnant women and neonates, with most pregnant women being asymptomatic upon admission and a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2. Statistically significant differences were found in maternal characteristics and outcomes, as well as neonatal outcomes based on the RT-PCR results for SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative cases. No neonates born to SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers tested positive for the infection.