Brazil calls on women to postpone pregnancies amid the rampant advance of the coronavirus pandemic

The Ministry of Health of Brazil recommended that women postpone their pregnancy plans due to the rampant advance of the coronavirus and the appearance of new strains of the virus in the country, which is experiencing a lethal second wave of the health emergency.

According to the secretary of Primary Health Care of the portfolio, Raphael Camara, at a press conference, the new variants, including the Brazilian one (P1), have been more aggressive in pregnant women, which is why he oriented women to postpone their pregnancies until the “situation is calmer.”

“If possible, (we recommend) postponing pregnancy a little for a better time, so that they can have a calmer pregnancy. For a young woman who can choose her time of pregnancy, the best thing to do is wait a little until the situation is somewhat calmer”, he pointed.

Faced with the advance of new strains of the coronavirus, the secretary also recommended that pregnant women who appear in the priority groups in the immunization schedule against covid-19 be vaccinated.

”The clinical vision of specialists shows that the new variant has a more aggressive action in pregnant women. Before it was linked to the end of pregnancy, but now a more serious evolution is noted in the second, even in the first trimester”, Camara stressed.

Brazil is one of the countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis, with a total of 368,749 deaths and 13.8 million infected, and has one of the highest mortality rates among pregnant and postpartum women in the world (7, 78%) according to the data presented by the portfolio, so far this year 433 pregnant women or those who have just given birth have died from the disease, compared to the 546 deaths registered in the entire year of 2020.

Although international studies link pregnancy and the puerperium to an increased risk of complications from covid-19, a report from the Brazilian Obstetric Observatory Covid-19 pointed out that the main reason behind the data is the lack of assistance to these women, since that 22.6% were never admitted to intensive care.