Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 12, 2020

Clinical characteristics and intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in nine pregnant women: a retrospective review of medical records

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  • A case series of nine pregnant women with COVID-2019 provides a description of clinical characteristics and initial information on risk of vertical transmission.
  • None of the patients developed severe COVID-19 pneumonia or died, as of Feb 4, 2020. 
    • Seven patients presented with a fever; four, with cough; three, myalgia; and two, sore throat or malaise. Five had lymphopenia (<1·0 × 10⁹ cells per L); three, increased aminotransferase concentrations. Fetal distress was monitored in two cases.
  • All nine patients had a caesarean section (third trimester) leading to a livebirth. 
  • All nine newborns had a 1-min Apgar score of 8–9 and a 5-min Apgar score of 9–10. 
  • Six patients had amniotic fluid, cord blood, neonatal throat swab, and breastmilk samples tested for SARS-CoV-2. All samples tested negative for the virus.

Chen H, et al. (Feb 12, 2020) Clinical characteristics and intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in nine pregnant women: a retrospective review of medical records. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30360-3