During this COVID 19 pandemic, pregnant women in most parts of the world are faced with a new stress and added tension. Whether to deliver in a hospital where there are more chances to catch coronavirus or at home where there is insufficient equipment to deal with any kind of emergencies and sanitation, leading to probabilities that it may be compromised.
A similar decision would be faced by parents of young and little children, if need be, whether to take them to the hospitals or not if there is any concern. The decision to deliver the baby at home and not admit the child in a hospital could also stem from the fact that most hospitals would be over-crowded and refuse all patients other than coronavirus patients.
The Washington Post reports that another COVID-19 wave would generate damage which would create a global increase in the child mortality rate. According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers, 253,500 to 1.2 million children under the age of 5 years could die in the next 6 months. The maternal death toll could rise from 8% to 38%.
Researchers stated the reason for this increase to be the upending access to the essential services related to childbirth, immunizations, and essential treatment for childhood pneumonia, diarrhea, and other common diseases.
Measuring the indirect effects of COVID 19 on maternal and child mortality would be experienced more in 118 low- and middle-income countries as the situation intensifies.