Stillbirths rise in U.S. among COVID infected mothers, Mississippi worst hit: Report

Stillbirths have emerged as the newest concern caused by COVID-19 as doctors in the US are sounding an alarm regarding higher rates of failed pregnancies in COVID-19 infected mothers, reported NBC news. The highest number of stillbirths are being recorded primarily in the states hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the states that have the lowest rate of vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that 266 pregnancies have ended in a loss since the start of the pandemic, as per media sources. 

Low vaccination rate may be a factor

Doctors have said that the states with lower vaccination rates are seeing a higher number of failed pregnancies. The U.S state of Mississippi's health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs was reported saying that the state health department has identified 72 stillbirths among women with Covid-19 since the pandemic began which is double what the state would normally expect in the same time period. He also revealed that most of the affected mothers were unvaccinated. A report by NBC News stated that Mississippi has the lowest rate of vaccination with only 39%, and had the highest mortality rate of 9 per 1,000 births even before the pandemic. 

In support of Dobbs' argument, the neighboring state of Alabama is also experiencing the same as it also recorded stillbirths associated with Covid in pregnant women. Media sources revealed that the Covid-associated stillbirth rate has ranged from 3% to 6% during the pandemic at Birmingham's University of Alabama, as per Dr. Akila Subramaniam. She stated that the recorded number is higher than the usual stillbirth rate seen at the University which is around 2%.

Although, the national number of stillbirths appears to be significantly low. Besides, Dr. Subramaniam believes that, currently, everything about stillbirths is truly anecdotal and the doctors lack the numbers to confirm what is being seen. Reports said that the U.S. is witnessing an increase in stillbirths only because there are more pregnant women sick with Covid-19 as the Delta variant of Covid-19 has led to a surge in infection among younger adults, including women of child-bearing age. Still, the true link between COVID-19, vaccination, and stillbirths remains a mystery. 

(IMAGE: UNSPLASH)