Pregnancy-Related Deaths Climbed in Pandemic’s First Year

Written by LINDSEY TANNER

Pregnancy-related deaths for U.S. mothers climbed higher in the pandemic’s first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report released Wednesday.

Overall in 2020, there were almost 24 deaths per 100,000 births, or 861 deaths total — numbers that reflect mothers dying during pregnancy, childbirth or the year after. The rate was 20 per 100,000 in 2019.

Among Black people, there were 55 maternal deaths per 100,000 births — almost triple the rate for whites.

The report from the National Center for Health Statistics does not include reasons for the trend and researchers said they have not fully examined how COVID-19, which increases risks for severe illness in pregnancy, might have contributed.

The coronavirus could have had an indirect effect. Many people put off medical care early in the pandemic for fear of catching the virus, and virus surges strained the health care system, which could have an impact on pregnancy-related deaths, said Eugene Declercq, a professor and maternal death researcher at Boston University School of Public Health.

He called the high rates “terrible news” and noted that the U.S. has continually fared worse in maternal mortality than many other developed countries.

Pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 births climbed from 44 in 2019 to 55 in 2020 among Black people and from 13 to 18 among Hispanics. The 2020 rate among whites, 19 per 100,000 births, was essentially unchanged.

Reasons for those disparities are not included in the data. But experts have blamed many factors including differences in rates of underlying health conditions, poor access to quality health care and structural racism.

“This is incredibly sad news and especially scary for Black women,” said Dr. Laura Riley, OB-GYN chief at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

Dr. Janelle Bolden, an assistant OB-GYN professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said the report is not surprising.

“The pandemic has uncovered the disparities in access to care, healthcare quality and delivery. It has also laid bare the lack of support for public health and social agencies that many people rely on for basic needs,″ Bolden said. “These disparities and inadequacies lead to poor care and worse outcomes.”

The U.S. maternal mortality rate has more than tripled in 35 years. A decade ago, it was 16 deaths per 100,000 births. It has climbed along with rising rates of obesity, heart disease and cesarean sections, which all increase risks for people giving birth.

‹

Trump Makes Unfounded Claims About Tylenol and Repeats Discredited Link Between Vaccines and Autism

President Donald Trump on Monday used the platform of the presidency to promote unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism.

Continuing the Legacy: A New Birth Center Opens in Chapel Hill, Honoring Its Predecessor

A new birth center recently opened its doors to the Triangle community, offering an alternative to hospital births.

Mental Health, Infant Mortality and Environmental Racism: Takeaways From Orange County's Health Assessment Data

Every four years, the Orange County Health Department embarks on an intensive effort to gather wide-ranging, local health information in its Community Health Assessment, which happened in 2023. One month ago, the health department shared those results and data with residents. The health department published its public copies of the 2023 assessment after surveys, focus […]

Governor's Pandemic Rules for Bars Violated North Carolina Constitution, Appeals Court Says

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's orders to bars to stay closed during the COVID-19 pandemic were “illogical," an appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Suicides and Homicides Among Young Americans Jumped Early in the Pandemic, Study Says

Written by MIKE STOBBE The homicide rate for older U.S. teenagers rose to its highest point in nearly 25 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the suicide rate for adults in their early 20s was the worst in more than 50 years, government researchers said Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report examined the homicide […]

WHO Downgrades COVID Pandemic, Says It’s No Longer Emergency

Written by MARIA CHENG and JAMEY KEATEN The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. WHO first declared COVID-19 to be an emergency more […]

Lack of Service at Chapel Hill’s Women’s Birth and Wellness Center Limits Pregnancy Care Options

Rumors the Women’s Birth and Wellness Center was closing its Chapel Hill clinic began circulating online last May, when the clinic stopped accepting new patient birth requests. Renewed speculation began on Reddit in September as users discussed how after 27 years of serving North Carolina women and families, the clinic may be closing for […]

End of COVID May Bring Major Turbulence for US Health Care

Written by RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for a cumbersome U.S. health care system made more generous, flexible and up-to-date technologically through a raft of temporary emergency measures. Winding down those policies could begin as early as the summer. That could force an estimated 15 […]

Death Toll Surpasses 6 Million for Pandemic Now in 3rd Year

Written by DAVID RISING The official global death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 6 million on Monday — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is […]

Pregnancy-Related Deaths Climbed in Pandemic’s First Year

Written by LINDSEY TANNER Pregnancy-related deaths for U.S. mothers climbed higher in the pandemic’s first year, continuing a decades-long trend that disproportionately affects Black people, according to a government report released Wednesday. Overall in 2020, there were almost 24 deaths per 100,000 births, or 861 deaths total — numbers that reflect mothers dying during pregnancy, […]

›