Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Feb 1;151(2):e2022059595.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-059595.

Maternal and Newborn Hospital Outcomes of Perinatal SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A National Registry

Mark L Hudak  1 , Dustin D Flannery  2   3   4 , Kimberly Barnette  1 , Trace Getzlaff  1 , Shiva Gautam  1 , Miren B Dhudasia  2   3 , Sagori Mukhopadhyay  2   3   4 , Madeline R Pfeifer  2 , Sascha R Ellington  5 , Romeo R Galang  5 , Margaret C Snead  5 , Kate R Woodworth  5 , Lauren B Zapata  5 , Karen M Puopolo  2   3   4 ; AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS NPC-19 REGISTRY INVESTIGATORS
Collaborators, Affiliations

Maternal and Newborn Hospital Outcomes of Perinatal SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A National Registry

Mark L Hudak et al. Pediatrics. .

Abstract

Objectives: The American Academy of Pediatrics National Registry for the Surveillance and Epidemiology of Perinatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (NPC-19) was developed to provide information on the effects of perinatal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Methods: National Registry for the Surveillance and Epidemiology of Perinatal COVID-19 participating centers entered maternal and newborn data for pregnant persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection between 14 days before and 10 days after delivery. Incidence of and morbidities associated with maternal and newborn SARS-CoV-2 infection were assessed.

Results: From April 6, 2020 to March 19, 2021, 242 centers in the United States centers reported data for 7524 pregnant persons; at the time of delivery, 78.1% of these persons were asymptomatic, 18.2% were symptomatic but not hospitalized specifically for COVID-19, 3.4% were hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, and 18 (0.2%) died in the hospital of COVID-related complications. Among 7648 newborns, 6486 (84.8%) were tested for SARS-CoV-2, and 144 (2.2%) were positive; the highest rate of newborn infection was observed when mothers first tested positive in the immediate postpartum period (17 of 125, 13.6%). No newborn deaths were attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, 15.6% of newborns were preterm: among tested newborns, 30.1% of polymerase chain reaction-positive and 16.2% of polymerase chain reaction-negative were born preterm (P < .001). Need for mechanical ventilation did not differ by newborn SARS-CoV-2 test result, but those with positive tests were more likely to be admitted to a NICU.

Conclusions: Early in the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infection was acquired by newborns at variable rates and without apparent short-term effects. During a period that preceded widespread availability of vaccines, we observed higher than expected numbers of preterm births and maternal in-hospital deaths.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES: The authors have indicated they have no conflicts of interest to disclose. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Investigators from CDC participated in data interpretation and manuscript review.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
STROBE Diagram, American Academy of Pediatrics Perinatal COVID 19 Registry, United States, April 6, 2020 to March 19, 2021. Because of 11 twin gestations, there were 587 mothers and 598 newborns excluded because of maternal positive test for SARS-CoV-2 occurring >14 days before delivery. Because of 2 twin gestations, there were 47 mothers and 49 newborns excluded because of stillbirth.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
PCR+ newborns in relation to maternal COVID status at delivery and timing of maternal infection, American Academy of Pediatrics Perinatal COVID-19 Registry, United States, April 6, 2020 to March 19, 2021. Graph shows proportions of deliveries with at least 1 newborn who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by nasopharyngeal PCR testing in relation to maternal clinical COVID status on admission to the hospital, by category (asymptomatic, symptomatic, or hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment), overall and by timing of maternal positive PCR testing relative to childbirth within each category.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wen T, Arditi B, Riley LE, et al. Influenza complicating delivery hospitalization and its association with severe maternal morbidity in the United States, 2000–2018. Obstet Gynecol. 2021;138(2):218–227 - PubMed
    1. Izurieta HS, Thompson WW, Kramarz P, et al. Influenza and the rates of hospitalization for respiratory disease among infants and young children. N Engl J Med. 2000;342(4):232–239 - PubMed
    1. Munoz FM. Influenza virus infection in infancy and early childhood. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2003;4(2):99–104 - PubMed
    1. Rha B, Curns AT, Lively JY, et al. Respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalizations among young children: 2015–2016. Pediatrics. 2020;146(1):e20193611. - PubMed
    1. Tam J, Papenburg J, Fanella S, et al. Pediatric investigators collaborative network on infections in Canada study of respiratory syncytial virus-associated deaths in pediatric patients in Canada, 2003–2013. Clin Infect Dis. 2019;68(1):113–119 - PMC - PubMed

Publication types