Abstract

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected Hong Kong severely. Local data on COVID-19 infection during pregnancy, particularly peripartum, are limited. This study aims to provide updated data on peripartum COVID-19 infection and investigate its association with mode of delivery and adverse obstetric outcomes.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included term and near-term pregnant women delivered in a public tertiary hospital in February and March 2022 during the fifth wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. Those with active COVID-19 infection at delivery were compared with those without. Demographic characteristics, vaccination status, and pregnancy outcomes were analysed.
Result: Of the 349 women included in the study, 56 had COVID-19 infection at delivery and 293 did not. Most COVID-19 infections were mild. No significant differences in mode of delivery (p=0.589), postpartum haemorrhage (p=0.171) and ICU admissions (p=1.000) were observed between groups. There was more intrapartum fever in the COVID-19 group (case 26.8% vs control 3.8%, p <0.001). COVID-19 group had longer mean maternal hospital stays (case 3.86 days vs control 3.00 days, p<0.001), mean neonatal hospital stays (case 9.59 days vs control 3.26 days, p <0.001) and increased rate of neonatal fever (case 19.6% vs control 8.2%, p=0.009). Babies’ birth weight, Apgar scores and NICU admission rate were similar between groups (p >0.05). There was no neonatal COVID-19 infection in the maternal COVID-19 group.
Conclusion: COVID-19 infected women appeared to deliver similarly to those without infection. There was no significant difference in mode of delivery with or without COVID-19 infection at delivery.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pregnancy; Term; Peripartum; Caesarean section