Hamilton doctor says COVID health risks during pregnancy 'keeps him up at night'

Hamilton Health Sciences says it has cared for at least 25 pregnant people with COVID throughout the pandemic.

And a local doctor says he's so concerned about the risks unvaccinated pregnant people face, it keeps him up at night. He's urging pregnant people to get the COVID vaccine.

New statistics released by the hospital authority on Tuesday show that 25 pregnant people with COVID were admitted to HHS between March 2020 and August 2021. The numbers come as Hamilton's vaccine uptake for pregnant people stands at 59 per cent with double doses, slightly lower than the provincial rate of 60 per cent. By contrast, 81 per cent of all eligible Hamiltonians are vaccinated.

The COVID health risks to pregnant people are greater than they are for the general public.

COVID in pregnancy is significantly more risky," said Dr. Jon Barrett, an HHS obstetrician. You are at almost two to four times higher the chance of ending up in intensive care if you get it if you're pregnant."

Pregnant people are also at a higher risk of pre-eclampsia, more likely to require a caesarean section, and have a higher premature birth rate.

Low vaccine uptake rates plus higher risks - plus a baby boom - create a perfect storm, he said.

What happens if uptake rates don't increase?

What we will see unfortunately is young people, mothers with families, getting really sick - and worse - from a preventable disease," Barrett said. It's tragic. It keeps me up at night."

Barrett said he understands pregnant people are, in general, more concerned about what they put into their bodies, understandably fearful of harming their unborn babies.

But he says those who are vaccine hesitant need to know the vaccine is safe and well-studied. Those who are pregnant can get the shot at any stage of pregnancy.

He urges them to get the shot sooner rather than later.

This isn't a politician talking. This is a physician," Barrett said.

Barrett, who is also the OBGYN chair at McMaster University, said the university has received a research grant to study why pregnant people are vaccine hesitant.

HHS spokesperson Wendy Stewart would not say if any COVID patients who were pregnant died, citing patient privacy.

Stewart confirmed HHS has cared for pregnant people with COVID-19 who have required ICU level care or had pre-term deliveries."

As for how many people delivered early, were in the ICU, were on ventilators, delivered babies while severely ill or on a ventilator or unconscious, or who had babies who had COVID, Stewart said the answer is less than 10 patients." We cannot provide exact numbers due to patient privacy," she said.

The Spectator has asked St. Joseph's Hospital Hamilton for comparable statistics and is waiting to hear back.

Katrina Clarke is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: katrinaclarke@thespec.com