According to an international study, a Covid-19 infection with the omicron variant of the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen during pregnancy increases the risk of death in pregnant women, especially in unvaccinated women. Risks were lower in vaccinated pregnant women. A corona vaccination effectively protects women from complications, reports the University Hospital of Geneva involved.
41 hospitals in 18 countries took part in the study, which was published in “The Lancet” – Austrian institutions were not among them. Data from 1545 pregnant women infected with the omicron variant were examined. These data were compared with those of 3,073 pregnant women without corona.
In particular, the risk of pre-eclampsia – high blood pressure with kidney damage – was higher in women with severe symptoms. Obese women with severe symptoms were at greater risk. Vaccinated women, on the other hand, would have a low risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit. According to the researchers, complete vaccination proved to be the best form of prevention.
The study found that mRNA vaccines were the most effective, but vector vaccines also provided adequate protection. “It is concerning that four to seven percent of unvaccinated women who were diagnosed with the omicron variant during pregnancy developed severe disease,” said study leader José Villar of the University of Oxford. Although Omicron is generally less harmful than previous variants, many unvaccinated pregnant women are still at greater risk.