Four stillbirths among women with Covid linked to virus, health officials now confirm
FOUR stillbirths among women who caught Covid-19 earlier this year have now been linked to the virus.
The women were found to have Covid placentitis, an infection of the placenta, which pathologists who carried out examinations in each case say was the significant factor in the stillbirth.
The cases were revealed late last week but at that point doctors were cautious about attributing the stillbirths to the virus.
However, Dr Cliona Murphy, chair of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, who expressed her condolences to the parents of the babies, said last night: “It is the view of our pathologists that Covid-19 was the significant factor that resulted in the stillbirths of the babies”.
It remains quite rare and a small number of similar cases have been documented abroad. Perinatal pathologists are liaising with international colleagues but it was important to “keep an open mind,” she added.
Cork University Hospital last year diagnosed Covid placentitis in a pregnant woman who underwent an emergency caesarean section, delivering a healthy baby.
Other cases would not all have been documented in medical journals, she said.
Earlier, Dr Murphy said doctors were concerned about the misinformation circulating about the risk of receiving a Covid-19 vaccine, claiming the jab affects fertility.
“There is no evidence that taking any of the Covid-19 vaccines affects a woman’s future ability to conceive, or to continue a pregnancy,” she said.
“We recommend that all those of reproductive age take the Covid-19 vaccine as it becomes available.”
She said some men who caught the virus and had moderate to severe symptoms could suffer lower sperm count in the weeks afterwards but there was no long-term data.
In the case of someone discovering they are pregnant shortly after receiving the vaccine, the second dose can be deferred until after 14 weeks.
“For someone with a history of recurrent miscarriages, there is no reason to avoid the vaccine,” she said.
“In the case of planning for IVF, women could make the choice to wait until they have received both doses before proceeding with scheduled treatment as it would be beneficial to be fully vaccinated. It is safe to commence IVF a few days after the second dose.”
Meanwhile, there are increasing hopes that if the spread of the virus continues to fall at the current pace that some easing of restrictions will be on the cards in April and May.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) will consider a report on resuming a phased return of visits to nursing homes later this
week with a view to having a new system in place over the next seven to 10 days. As more people get the jab, there will be an expectation of a vaccine bonus.
That hope was raised as no new death from coronavirus was reported yesterday, while 437 more people were reported as having been diagnosed with the virus.
Prof Philip Nolan said there had been sustained and possibly “accelerated progress” in suppressing transmission, with case counts falling by around 100 a week.
The cases remain high but contrast to the previous week at around 620.
There were 418 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 yesterday with 103 in intensive care.
He said there were around 14 Covid-related deaths a day, which was still high but lower than in recent weeks.
A report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre yesterday showed that the third wave started in November, before lockdown was lifted for Christmas with the reopening of shops and with the easing of restrictions to allow family gatherings.
Prof Nolan said pre-Christmas data “tells us that when we get to March, April and May we need to be immensely careful that the level we have succeeded in suppressing the virus to does not bite us in the space of a few weeks”.
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the progress could turn around in a matter of weeks and that had been seen in other countries, adding: “We have made more progress in the last fortnight than any other country in Europe.”