US CDC reports 40% rise in pregnancy deaths during Covid

Robert Besser
20 Mar 2023, 05:05 GMT+10

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week showed that in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality rates during maternity rose 40 percent in the US.
In 2021, there were some 32.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 and 20.1 in 2019.
The CDC data also showed the US recording more than 1,200 deaths in pregnant women in 2021, compared with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019, one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths among developed countries.

ATLANTA, Georgia: Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week showed that in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality rates during maternity rose 40 percent in the US.

The CDC data also showed the US recording more than 1,200 deaths in pregnant women in 2021, compared with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019, one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths among developed countries.

"The number and percentage of maternal death records mentioning COVID-19 were greater in 2021 than in 2020, which (suggests) that COVID-19 has likely contributed to the increase in maternal deaths," said Donna Hoyert, author of the study at CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, as quoted by Reuters.

In 2021, there were some 32.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 and 20.1 in 2019.

The mortality rate for Black women was also some three times higher than white and Hispanic women, at 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021.

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