A dramatic new phenomenon is causing great concern in Ireland. In the midst of a health crisis that has hit the country hard, with the highest rate of infection in the world, local authorities will investigate four cases of babies who died at birth and whose deaths may be linked to COVID-19. According to the forensic doctors who reported the cases, the pregnant women had all tested positive for the coronavirus before delivering the stillborn babies.
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Stillbirths due to COVID-19?
‘Four preliminary reports of stillbirths potentially associated with a disease called COVID placentis’ have been referred to the health authorities, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn told a press conference in Dublin on Thursday. ‘More research needs to be done’ before any link between the virus and the deaths can be established, he said, adding that he could not ‘give too much detail as there is not much more at this stage.’
These very worrying cases are difficult to explain for the moment. One possibility currently being investigated is a link to COVID-19, as all four pregnant women had tested positive for the virus before giving birth. According to the forensic doctors behind the reports, an infection of the placenta could be the cause of these deaths.
Extremely rare cases
According to experts, however, these cases are still extremely rare. ‘The vast majority of pregnant women who have had COVID have had mild symptoms and no adverse effects,’ explains Dr Cliona Murphy, President of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ireland and a member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI).
‘Large-scale surveillance data in the UK have not shown a higher incidence of stillbirth,’ the doctor says. However, ‘it is important that pregnant women, who are positive for COVID, attend appointments with their referring doctors within weeks of infection.’
