1 INTRODUCTION
Pregnancy is a state of partial immune suppression which makes pregnant women more vulnerable to viral infections, and the morbidity is higher even with seasonal influenza. Therefore, the COVID19 epidemic may have serious consequences for pregnant women. Although the vast majority of cases of COVID-19 are currently in China, the risk of outward transmission appears to be significantly raising global concern. Human to human transmission of the virus is proven to occur,1,2 perhaps even from asymptomatic patients,3,4 and the mortality is substantial, especially among frail, elderly patients with comorbidities.5
7 CONCLUSIONS
As the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread around the world, we need to plan and prepare ourselves proactively. Providing appropriate clinical management and support to patients while adequately protecting healthcare professionals should be our goal. A multi-disciplinary team approach should be adopted in managing these patients as it allows to effectively share the expertise as well as responsibility, and treat our patients with dignity and compassion. However, there are many challenges to overcome, such as shortage of protective equipment, depleting supply of medicines and blood products (reduced blood donations), infected pregnant women showing up directly to delivery rooms in advanced labor, psychological pressure and panic, just to mention a few. In hospitals, the transmission of the virus and deaths among healthcare professionals are serious concerns.
