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CDC data shows COVID-19 increased U.S. maternal mortality rates by 25%

The COVID-19 virus contributed to an increase in maternal mortality in 2020 and 2021, accounting for a quarter of all maternal deaths over that period, according to a government report released on Wednesday. File Photo by ramosiquitios/Pixabay
1 of 2 | The COVID-19 virus contributed to an increase in maternal mortality in 2020 and 2021, accounting for a quarter of all maternal deaths over that period, according to a government report released on Wednesday. File Photo by ramosiquitios/Pixabay

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The COVID-19 virus contributed to an increased maternal mortality rate in 2020 and 2021, accounting for a quarter of all maternal deaths over that period, according to a government report released Wednesday.

Maternal deaths increased compared to 2018 and 2019, with COVID-19 a contributing factor in 25% of those cases in 2020 and 2021, according to the Government Accountability Office report.

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The office analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to produce the report.

It found the number of monthly maternal deaths averaged from the mid-50s to the mid-60s in 2018 and 2019. That monthly average climbed to 85 between January 2020 and December 2021, reaching an apex in the summer of 2021, according to the CDC data.

The report found the maternal death rate for Black or African American women was disproportionately higher compared to White and Hispanic women.

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Black women averaged a maternal death rate of 44 per 100,000 live births in 2019. That figure increased to 55.3 in 2020, and 68.9 in 2021.

White, non-Hispanic women had death rates of 17.9 per 100,000 live births in 2019, and 19.1, and 26.1 in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

The report also points out the racial discrepancy existed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Black women experienced a maternal death rate 2.5 times higher than White women in the pre-pandemic years of 2018 and 2019.

For Hispanic women, the maternal death rate was 12.6 per 100,000 live births in 2019, which was lower than the 17.9 for White women. But, the rates increased sharply for Hispanic women, hitting 18.2 in 2020, and 27.5 in 2021.

The office attributed the ongoing racial discrepancies to a number of factors, including racial bias in the U.S. healthcare system, as well as barriers to accessing healthcare and chronic health conditions.

Overall, the United States has consistently had one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed countries.

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