Pregnant women make up 10% of ICU Covid patients

Dr Alan Gaffney, vice-president of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland, said there are 65 patients in ICUs now and doctors are seeing unvaccinated pregnant women admitted. Picture: Pexels

Pregnant women make up 10% of Covid-19 patients in ICU, despite falling case numbers, according to a senior doctor.

New data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre shows the national 14-day incidence rate has dropped to 402 per 100,000 from 450 this time last week. 

However, Dr Alan Gaffney, vice-president of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland, said there are 65 patients in ICUs now and doctors are seeing unvaccinated pregnant women admitted.

“We are seeing about 10% of our Covid admissions are pregnant patients or recently pregnant, which is worrying,” he said.

Dr Gaffney, a consultant at Beaumont hospital, said it was not clear whether the number of severely ill pregnant women is linked to high community transmission rates or the Delta variant itself.

“We would encourage anyone who is pregnant, or contemplating becoming pregnant, to get vaccinated,” he said.

Unvaccinated adults make up about two-thirds of ICU patients although they comprise less than 10% of the general population. Between January and September 8, there were 29 children in ICU linked to the virus including a quarter ill with Covid directly and the remainder with a post-Covid inflammatory condition Pims. 

“Overall, the numbers of children in ICU have been very very small, and really Covid isn’t a serious disease of children,” Dr Gaffney told RTÉ. 

The decreasing infection rate comes despite an increase in testing, particularly among children. 

Monaghan worst affected

Monaghan remains the worst affected with 597 new cases in the past two weeks and an incidence rate of 972.5.

Limerick is the worst hit in Munster, with a 14-day incidence rate of 392 and 794 new cases found in the last fortnight. This is followed by Kerry at 349.3 and 516 new cases, then Tipperary with 479 new cases and an incidence rate of 300. In Clare, 387 new cases were found, giving an incidence rate of 325.7. 

In Cork 1,509 new cases were found, giving a rate of 278. Waterford saw the lowest rates of infection in Munster recently with an incidence rate of 273.7 per 100,000 and 318 new cases identified.

Also yesterday, the European Centre for Disease Control said Ireland now has the second-highest 14-day incidence rate in the EU, dropping from the top slot.