Women advised to delay pregnancy over variant fears

SAO PAULO • Brazil asked women to delay getting pregnant until the worst of the pandemic passes, saying the virus variant that is devastating the South American country appears to affect expectant mothers more than earlier versions of the coronavirus.

The recommendation comes as Brazil continues to be one of the epicentres of the pandemic, with more Brazilians dying from the disease each day than anywhere else in the world.

The global Covid-19 death toll crossed the three million mark yesterday, as the race for immunisation continues and countries like India grapple with rising infections and new lockdowns. The virus has infected more than 140 million people worldwide, data from Johns Hopkins University showed.

Hospitals are buckling under the strain and stocks of drugs needed for intubating severely ill patients are running perilously low, with Brazil turning to international partners for help in getting emergency supplies.

"If it's possible, delay pregnancy a little until a better moment," Health Ministry official Raphael Parente said during a news conference on Friday.

He said the recommendation was partly due to the stress on the health system, and to the more easily transmissible Brazilian variant known as P1.

"The clinical experience of specialists shows that this new variant acts more aggressively in pregnant women," Dr Parente added.

Lately, there have been more serious Covid-19 cases in the second and occasionally first trimester of pregnancy, he said, without giving more details.

The P1 variant, first discovered in the Amazon city of Manaus, has quickly become dominant in Brazil. It is thought to be a major factor behind a massive second wave of infections that has brought the country's death toll to over 350,000 - the second-highest in the world behind that of the United States.

Brazil's outbreak is increasingly affecting younger people, with hospital data showing that last month, more than half of all patients in intensive care were aged 40 or younger.

President Jair Bolsonaro has opposed lockdowns and held large events, often without wearing a mask. He has only recently embraced vaccines as a possible solution, but the inoculation roll-out has been plagued by delays and missed targets.

Last week, vaccinations were stopped in several cities owing to a shortage of supplies, according to local media.

The surge in Covid-19 cases has also left hospitals short of sedatives needed for patients who require mechanical ventilation.

An emergency shipment of the drugs arrived in Brazil late on Thursday from China, while donations from Spain are expected to arrive this week.

Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have both sounded the alarm over shortages, with Sao Paulo's Health Secretary saying last week that the city's ability to care for seriously ill Covid-19 patients is on the verge of collapse.

REUTERS