The SARC-CoV-2 virus, that causes coronavirus, has been shown to infect a higher proportion of pregnant women, according to a new study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

According to the ICMR study, pregnant women who are infected with the Covid-19 virus can have a moderate-to-severe disease.

Premature birth and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy were the most common complications observed among pregnant women.

The study also found that comorbidities such anaemia, TB, and diabetes mellitus were linked to an elevated risk of maternal death in COVID-19-positive pregnant and postpartum women.

The ICMR study looked at the clinical characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of Covid-19-infected women in Maharashtra during the first wave of the pandemic.

The study used data from the PregCovid registry, which included pregnant women and women in the postpartum period who had a confirmed Covid-19 diagnosis.

The data analysed 4,203 pregnant women during the first wave (March 2020-January 2021). 534 (13%) were symptomatic, of which 382 (72%) had mild symptoms, 112 (21%) had moderate and 40 (7.5%) had severe Covid symptoms.

The study noted that that there were 3,203 live births, 77 miscarriages, and 834 undelivered pregnancies.

“The most common complication was preterm delivery (528, 16.3%) and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (328, 10.1%). A total of 158 (3.8%) pregnant and post-partum women required intensive care, of which 152 (96%) were due to COVID-19 related complications,” the findings of the study stated.