COVID-19 contributed to a quarter of all U.S. maternal deaths last year and in 2020, according to an oversight report.
The report, released Wednesday morning by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan government auditing agency, details maternal mortality disparities during the pandemic and how the coronavirus contributed to overall maternal deaths.
Out of last year’s 1,178 reported maternal deaths, COVID-19 contributed to 401, according to the report. In 2020, the virus was behind almost 12% of maternal deaths.
COVID-19 contributed to roughly 25% of the more than 2,000 maternal deaths in the two years combined.
Pregnant people are more vulnerable to adverse COVID-19 outcomes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. During the pandemic, maternal deaths saw a sharp rise and disparities widened. A staggering number of those deaths were preventable, according to the CDC.
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