SARS-CoV-2 infection testing at delivery: a clinical and epidemiological priority.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Universal testing has been suggested as a useful strategy for a safe exit from the total lockdown, without recurrence of COVID-19 epidemic, delivering women being considered a sentinel population. Further universal testing for pregnant women may be useful in order to define appropriate access to COVID19 areas, dedicated neonatal care, and personal protective equipment.

METHODS:

During the period 10-26 April, all consecutive women admitted for delivery at the Maternity Hospitals of the city of Milan and in six provinces of Lombardy: Brescia, Como, Lecco Monza, Pavia, and Sondrio. areas were tested with nasopharyngeal swabs.Results and conclusion: Out of 1566 women, 49 were tested positive for SARS-Cov-2 (3.1%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 2.3-4.0). This value is largely higher than Heath Authorities estimate. Of tested positive women, 22 (44.9%) had symptoms or reported close contacts with positive patients, that is were found at risk by the itemized questionnaire. In conclusion, routine estimate of frequency of positivity among delivering women can be consider a useful methods to monitor positivity at least in females in their fertile ages.

• Authors: Enrico Ferrazzi, Paolo Beretta, Stefano Bianchi, Irene Cetin, Paolo Guarnerio, Anna Locatelli, Anna Maria Marconi, Mario Giuseppe Meroni, Giulia Pavone, Armando Pintucci, Federico Prefumo, Valeria Savasi, Arsenio Spinillo, Beatrice Tassis, Patrizia Vergani, Michele Vignali, Fabio Parazzini, Carlo La Vecchia
• Journal: The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians (J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med) Vol. 35 Issue 12 Pg. 2417-2419 (Jun 2022) ISSN: 1476-4954 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 32660281 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Topics

• COVID-19 (diagnosis, epidemiology)
• Communicable Disease Control
• Female
• Hospitalization
• Humans
• Infant, Newborn
• Male
• Pregnancy
• SARS-CoV-2