Comparative Study –Fetomaternal Outcome in Covid 19 Pregnancies Between First and Second Wave

Abstract

Background: Many countries have seen a two-wave pattern in reported cases of coronavirus disease-19 during the 2020 pandemic. Empirical data show that the characteristics of the effects of the virus do vary between the two periods. Differences in age range and severity of the disease have been reported, although the comparative characteristics of the two waves still remain largely unknown. This study helps in the comparison between the characteristics and severity between first and second wave.
 Methods: This study is prospective and comparative study based on compiled clinical and outcome data for pregnant women infected with COVID-19 between April 2020 to October 2020 and March 2021 to July 2021 at our tertiary level hospital. A laboratory confirmed case of COVID-19 is defined as a positive result by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay of maternal pharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swab specimen.
 Results: In our hospital, a total of 89 pregnant women were admitted in our tertiary hospital, out of which 53 of the patients were antenatal women of which 15 of the women died, 32 patients were admitted during third trimester and labour and 4 patients were delivered outside and referred here. This study, the most common age group affected was only between 20-30 years same as that of the first wave, preterm deliveries was found to be higher. The second wave had higher incidence and severity of cough (40%), fever (43%), diarrhea (28.12%) and dyspnea (38%).It also suggests that the caesarian rates(62%) were found to be higher in covid 19 patients and maternal mortality rate(25%) was also found to be higher thereby indicating the need for vaccination to reduce the severity and mortality in the upcoming waves.
 Conclusion: The result of the present study suggests that the second wave among the pregnant women was found to be more severe when compared to the first wave because of the new variants. Because of this we as obstetricians and health care workers has to insist upon the vaccination during pregnancy thereby preventing the severity of the disease and reducing the maternal mortality.
 Key words: covid 19, fetomaternal outcome, maternal mortality.