Low Prevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Among Pregnant and Postpartum Patients With Universal Screening in Seattle, Washington

Abstract

We found low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 (2.7% [5/188]) among pregnant and postpartum patients with universal testing. Prevalence among symptomatic patients was similar under initial targeted screening (22.2% [4/18]) and universal approaches (19.1% [8/42]). Among 170 asymptomatic patients, 2 were positive or inconclusive, respectively; repeat testing at 24 hours was negative.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; pregnancy; universal screening; viral shedding.

Figure 1.

SARS-CoV-2 screening among pregnant and postpartum patients in the UW Medicine system, Seattle, Washington. A, Study flow of pregnant and postpartum patients screened for SARS-CoV-2 prior to and after initiation of universal screening in Seattle. Figure includes results of initial testing only. Among 230 patients, 275 tests were performed. Results of repeat testing are detailed in Supplementary Table 2. B, Results of repeat SARS Co-V-2 RT-PCR testing among initially positive pregnant patients. Timing denotes first and last test performed during the study period by either GA or PP age. Abbreviations: GA, gestational age; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PP, postpartum; PUI, persons under investigation; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; UW, University of Washington.