By PAVEL BAILEY

A PAN American Health Organization official said a lack of access to timely care and disruptions to prenatal services are to blame for an increase in maternal mortality in the Americas during the pandemic, with one in three pregnant women unable to access timely critical care.

PAHO Director Carissa Etienne spoke about the issue during a regional press briefing yesterday as she called for an uptake in vaccination among pregnant women, who are “among the most vulnerable” for COVID-19 infection.

With COVID-19 cases among pregnant women reaching more than 365,000 in the region over the past two years, and deaths surpassing 3,000, Dr Etienne said “this is a tragedy, especially now that we have safe and effective vaccines.”

A pre-published PAHO study on maternal mortality across eight countries showed that of 447 pregnant women that died between March 1, 2020 and November 29, 2021, 90 percent were already experiencing life-threatening symptoms when admitted to hospital. Nearly 77 percent delivered their babies prematurely and 60 percent were born with low birth weight – an issue that can impact the health of a child for the rest of its life, according to PAHO.

“We must prioritise women to ensure they are shielded from the worst of the pandemic,” Dr. Etienne said.

Pregnant women are “among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, due to changes in their immune system which can put them at risk for severe disease,” she added.

She urged countries to urgently ramp up access to vaccines, ensure the continuation of health services that women depend on, and improve access to family planning services.

These are “life-saving services that should remain open now more than ever,” she added.

While most countries in the region recommend COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women, their uptake is still very low.

“It is critical that health workers talk to expectant mothers about the importance of getting vaccinated to protect them, and their babies, from this virus,” Dr Etienne said.

Dr Etienne also said that as women make up the majority of the health workforce, this demographic accounted for more than 70 percent of COVID cases in the profession.

“Of course, COVID also had a significant impact on women’s health as the vast majority of our health workforce, women, were at the frontlines caring for COVID patients and putting themselves at risk. It is no surprise therefore that they accounted for more than 72 percent of all COVID cases among health professionals,” she said.

She also spoke about the pandemic’s effect on mental health as she said that both health professionals and young people’s mental states have been adversely affected.

“Our new scientific brief that was based on global burden of disease data shows some early evidence of the pandemic’s impact on mental health. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by more than 25 percent. “The greatest increase in depression and anxiety were found in places that were highly affected by COVID-19 where infections were high and movement was restricted. Interesting to note that females were more affected than males and younger people, especially those aged 20 to 24 years, were more affected than older adults.

“We are especially focused on the impact on our healthcare workers who really have suffered unprecedented burdens in caring for people with COVID-19 and in many cases not being able to save them. And while at the same time taking care of households and dealing with the fear of infecting their families. The scientific brief found that exhaustion in healthcare workers, loneliness, and a positive COVID-19 diagnosis increased the risk of suicidal thoughts.”

Turning to the COVID-19 situation in the region, the director reported that new cases dropped to 32 percent from the previous week, reaching 1.5 million. Countries also reported 24,650 deaths, a 10 percent decline.

These downward trends were seen throughout much of the region, with the exception of Central America where deaths rose by nearly 16 percent this week.

Cases in The Bahamas have also been trending down in recent weeks.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness reported four new cases of COVID-19 in its March 1 dashboard. Up to that point, 13 people were in hospital with two of them in intensive care.

The country has more than 250 active cases.