Universal Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in Women Admitted for Delivery

NEJM correspondence on universal screening at delivery

In areas with high rates of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), universal testing for SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women admitted for delivery could identify many infections that would be missed based on symptoms alone, according to findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.

From March 22 to April 4, some 215 women delivered babies at a New York City health system. Of these, four had symptoms at admission and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of the remaining 211 asymptomatic women, 210 had nasopharyngeal swabs taken, and 14% (29 women) were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, nearly 90% of women who were positive at admission were asymptomatic.

The authors write, “The potential benefits of a universal testing approach include the ability to use COVID-19 status to determine hospital isolation practices and bed assignments, inform neonatal care, and guide the use of personal protective equipment. Access to such clinical data provides an important opportunity to protect mothers, babies, and health care teams during these challenging times.”

Separately in NEJM, physicians from a hospital in the New York City metro area describe their experience in creating an incident command center for COVID-19. They write: “We hope that lessons from our center will help prepare other physicians and hospitals for what is likely to come so they can stay ahead of the wave.” Follow the second link below to take a look.