COVID-19 Testing during pregnancy
Roughly 160 pregnant women with scheduled deliveries (e.g., cesarean, labor induction) at a New York City hospital in early April first underwent telephone screening for COVID-19 symptoms and then underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing the day before delivery. None screened positive, yet 16% had positive test results. Additionally, of the support people who screened negative by phone, nearly 10% tested positive the day before delivery. The researchers write, “If universal testing of pregnant patients in a high prevalence area is not performed, health care workers will be inadvertently exposed to COVID-19, unless universal precautions with personal protective equipment are taken.”