Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 is highly contagious and has spread to every corner of the world to become a global pandemic. Hence, pregnant and postpartum women are at increased risk of severe illness due to coronavirus disease 2019 compared to the general population at an equivalent age. However, evidence on the clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 infected pregnant and postpartum women in Ethiopia is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess adverse clinical outcomes and its associated factors among COVID-19-infected pregnant and postpartum women.

Methodology: Institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 484 pregnant and postpartum women from March 13/2020 to March 13/2022 as a census. Structured and pretested data extraction checklist was used to extract data. The extracted data were coded and entered into Epi-data and exported to Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 25 for analysis. Descriptive results were displayed by texts, tables, and figures. The association between variables were analyzed by bivariable and multivariable logistic regression. The strength of association and level of significance was determined by AOR and at P-value < 0.05.

Results: A total of 484 study subjects were studied. The overall magnitude of adverse clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infected pregnant and postpartum women was 20.7% (95% CI: 17.1, 24.5) (specifically,  need of oxygen therapy 20.7%, Intensive care unit admission 7%, and maternal death 2.3%). Chronic hypertension (AOR=3.13, 95% CI: 1.15, 8.51), diabetes mellitus (AOR=2.97, 95% CI: 1.19, 7.36), preeclampsia (AOR=3.94, 95% CI: 1.61, 9.68) and advanced maternal age (AOR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.36, 4.18) were factors associated with adverse clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infected pregnant and postpartum women.

Conclusion: The overall magnitude of adverse clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infected pregnant and postpartum is high. This indicates that COVID-19 has a significant impact on maternal health. Advanced age, chronic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and preeclampsia were factors associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Strengthening preventive measures and screening vulnerable groups is recommended.