COVID-19 impact on perinatal care: risk factors, clinical manifestation and prophylaxis. Polish experts' opinion for December 2020

Abstract

Rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coranovirus-2 virus (SARS-CoV-2) caused the pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19). Clinical course of the disease presents symptoms mainly from the respiratory system such as: cough, dyspnea and fever, and among some patients, can deteriorate even further to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), eventually leading to death. This outbreak, as well as previous ones (SARS, MERS) pose a significant challenge for health care managers, epidemiologists and physicians. Below we are presenting the clinical profile of the COVID-19 among special group of patients; pregnant women and newborns, who require special clinical management during hospitalization. In the summary of this manuscript, we present practical guidelines for managing pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2, labor and care of the newborn of a positive mother, as well as practical guidelines for COVID-19 vaccinations. It is important to stress, that this manuscript is based on information available as of December 2020.