Impact of Severity of Maternal COVID-19 Infection on Perinatal Outcome and Vertical Transmission Risk: An Ambispective Study From North India

Background In contrast to the first wave, the second COVID-19 wave has taken a huge toll affecting maternal outcomes adversely. The aim of this study was to investigate the consequences of the severity of maternal disease on perinatal outcomes and the risk of vertical transmission and to find out the factors associated with adverse fetomaternal outcomes. Materials and methods This was an ambispective observational study including COVID-19 infected pregnant patients; 20-40 years of age irrespective of gestational age admitted at Government Institute of Medical Sciences, UP, India. The patients were divided into two groups: CW 1 (COVID-19 Wave 1): Patients admitted between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 and CW 2 (COVID-19 Wave 2): Patients admitted between April 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021. Data in two groups were compared and analyzed with respect to the clinical profile, laboratory parameters, fetomaternal outcome and the risk of vertical transmission of COVID-19 infection. Results We included 134 eligible patients in the CW1 group and 58 in the CW2 group. Significantly more patients were symptomatic in CW2 (23.1% versus 60.3%, p=