A UK study suggests that having COVID-19 around the time of birth may heighten the odds of stillbirths and premature births; however, the overall risks remain low.

The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, assessed data involving over 340,000 women who gave birth in England from the end of May 2020 through January 2021. It was noted that 3,527 had positive COVID tests. Among these, 30 had stillbirths. 8.5 per 1,000 women with a positive test had a stillbirth, compared to 3.4 per 1,000 women who had a negative test. Around 12% of women with a positive test gave birth prematurely (before 37 weeks), compared to 5.8% of women with a negative test. Women who had COVID-19 at the time of birth were younger and more likely to be from a black, Asian or other minority ethnic background… (BBC, May 21, 2021)