Dr Ronan Glynn Credit: PA Preliminary reports of four stillbirths linked to Covid should inspire precaution, but not panic, leading obstetrician Dr Trevor Hayes has advised.
“Pregnant women should be cautious – washing their hands, wearing a mask, decreasing their exposure to the virus,” Dr Hayes said, but was quick to add that “the vast majority of women have healthy babies, and that’s a year into the pandemic”.
He noted that pregnant women were three times more likely to be put on a ventilator if they contracted Covid-19, but that this was due to the heightened vulnerability that comes with pregnancy.
This came in response to NPHET’s announcement late last week that they had received four preliminary reports of stillbirths in Ireland, that could potentially be associated with a condition called Covid Placentitis.
However, Dr Ronan Glynn also stressed that the condition was “very rare”.
“We have not seen a high incidence of it internationally, and we wouldn’t expect to see a high incidence of it here,” he said.