COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services

These recommendations are provided as an interim resource for UNFPA staff based on a combination of WHO guidelines, good practice and expert advice based on the latest scientific research. The situation with COVID-19 is evolving rapidly and the guidance will continue be updated if and when new evidence or information becomes available

Limited data are available on COVID-19 in pregnancy, but the studies published to date do not show an increased risk of severe disease in late pregnancy or substantial risk to the newborn. Congenital infection has not been found, and the virus has not been detected in expelled products of conception. These findings are reassuring, and are quite different from other recent pandemics, like the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic which resulted in more severe disease in pregnant women, or Zika virus which is teratogenic. Information on the impact of COVID-19 on early pregnancy outcomes remains unavailable at the time of writing. Non-pregnant women of childbearing age are also at low risk of severe disease.