Pregnancy affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection: a flash report from Michigan

Abstract

The world is currently affected by the invasion of a human to human highly transmissible novel corona virus classified as SARS-CoV-2. It causes a severe acute lower respiratory tract syndrome named corona virus disease (CoVid-19). The virus is detected primarily by RT-PCR. The reproduction number (Ro) has been reported between 2.28 and 5.27]. It is beyond our objective to provide an in-depth discussion of the virus characteristics and its distinct viral clades and pathogenic behavior. On 30 January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, (PHEIC) and on 11 March 2020 WHO declared it a pandemic. There is limited information on the effect of CoVid-19 in pregnancy and the new born. We describe the details of the hospital course of the first 16 cases involving pregnant women, admitted to an urban-suburban community general hospital in Wayne County Michigan, from 26 March to 10 April 2020. At the time of this writing the Covid-19 pandemic has affected 35,291 persons in the state of Michigan (0.37%) making it the third most affected state in the USA (MDHHS). Pregnant women are believed to be at higher risk of Covid-19 infection in association with the known physiologic changes of the immune, cardiorespiratory and metabolic systems during pregnancy.

Keywords: Covid-19; SARS-CoV-2; corona virus; pandemic; pregnancy.