During much of the pandemic, experts alerted certain groups of people, including people over 65 and those with pre-existing illnesses, who are at a greater risk of contracting serious illnesses if they contract COVID. Now, a new study has found that a group of people are at increased risk of contracting the coronavirus in general. Read on to find out if you are more likely to get COVID and how to stay healthy. Inhaling this can reduce your serious COVID risk by 90 percent, the study concluded.
A study published on February 15 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found that if you became pregnant recently, you are at a greater risk of getting COVID. According to the study, the COVID infection rate was 70% higher in pregnant women than in other adults of similar ages in Washington state. Using data, the researchers estimated that 13.9 of every 1,000 people who gave birth to a child had COVID, compared with 7.3 percent of every 1,000 residents of the state between the ages of 20 and 39. And for more information on Coronavirus risk factors, if you have this in your blood, you can be safe from severe COVID.
This study concludes that it should be advocated that pregnant women be included in the priority vaccination lists. The researchers noted that their findings “coupled with a broader recognition that pregnancy is a risk factor for serious illness and maternal mortality, strongly suggests that pregnant women should be prioritized for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States.”
While some states have included pregnant women in the next phase of priority vaccination, others have left them out. In a February 15 statement from the University of Washington, co-author of the study Kristina Adams Waldorf, MD, said: “Vaccine distribution plans vary slightly from state to state, and pregnant women have been eliminated from allocation prioritization in about half of the states in the United States. Many states are not even binding their allocation of COVID vaccine. -19 plans with the high-risk medical conditions listed by the CDC – which include pregnancy. “And for more news about the coronavirus, don’t do this until a month after your COVID vaccine, experts warn.
When the researchers tried to identify why pregnant women were becoming infected at a higher rate, they examined their environments. “Higher infection rates in pregnant patients may be due to over-representation of women in many professions and sectors deemed essential during the COVID-19 pandemic – including health, education, service sectors,” lead author Erica Lokken, PhD, said in a statement. “Pregnant women can also have larger families, children in daycare centers or recreation groups and be caregivers in an extended family.”
In addition, the state of your immune system during pregnancy can contribute to an increased rate of infection. “Although not considered an immunosuppressed condition, pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of disease severity for some infections and, potentially, risk of acquisition,” according to the study. And for the most up-to-date information, subscribe to our daily newsletter.
The study found that the rate of COVID infection in pregnant women was higher in non-white populations. “Our data indicate that pregnant women have not prevented the pandemic as we expected, and communities of color have borne the greatest burden,” Adams said in the statement. According to the study, the largest disparities were found between Hispanic women, American Indians / Native Alaskans and Native Americans from Hawaii / Pacific islands. And for news about vaccine availability, this is who can get the remaining vaccine from Walgreens, CVS and Walmart.