A new study supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health examined COVID-19 infection's effects on pregnancy and delivery outcomes across different variant periods.
Published in PLOS ONE, the study analyzed more than 2.5 million delivery-related hospitalizations from April 2020 through March 2023, including over 53,000 hospitalizations involving a COVID-19 diagnosis.
COVID-19 infection during delivery was associated with increased odds of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, intensive care unit admission, preterm birth, and fetal death at 20 or more weeks of gestation. Infection was also linked to increased hospital length of stay and costs, with the most pronounced effects during the Delta variant period—a 17 percent increase in hospitalization costs and an 11 percent increase in length of stay.
The findings add to evidence on how infectious diseases affect maternal health and provide insight into outcomes during different stages of the pandemic, according to the agency. Understanding these impacts can help strengthen maternal health surveillance and inform clinical preparedness for future infectious disease outbreaks.