GRFC Updates Please help us to keep you and others safe

• PUBLIC HOLIDAY

  Due to the public holiday, please note the GRFC offices will be closed on Monday 6 May 2024.  Normal business hours will resume on Tuesday 7 May.

1. What is Coronvairus and what is the background?

   On 31 December 2019 the Health Commission of Hubei Province, China announced a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia. Isolation and genome sequencing of the virus identified it as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). On the 11 February 2020, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses defined the virus as "Acute severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" (SARS-CoV-2), with the associated respiratory disease COVID-19 (CO-rona VI-rus D-isease 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges to the global healthcare community, with rapid escalation of the number of affected individuals and associated mortality over recent weeks. Clinical and public health guidance has primarily focused on minimising the potential health impact using the best available scientific advice and evidence to inform decision making to help contain the virus, delay its spread and mitigate its effect on infected individuals. Countries have adopted individualised timing of risk reduction strategies reflecting their differential risk assessments, with Italy having the largest number of affected cases outside of China.

2. What is the risk to pregnant women of getting COVID-19? Is it easier for pregnant women to become ill with the disease? If they become infected, will they be more sick than other people?

   We do not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public nor whether they are more likely to have serious illness as a result. Pregnant women experience changes in their bodies that may increase their risk of some infections. With viruses from the same family as COVID-19, and other viral respiratory infections, such as influenza, women have had a higher risk of developing severe illness. It is always important for pregnant women to protect themselves from illnesses.

3. How can pregnant women protect themselves from getting COVID-19?

   Pregnant women should do the same things as the general public to avoid infection. You can help stop the spread of COVID-19 by taking these actions:

   • Cover your cough (using your elbow is a good technique)
   • Avoid people who are sick
   • Clean your hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer

4. Can COVID-19 cause problems for a pregnancy?

   We do not know at this time if COVID-19 would cause problems during pregnancy or affect the health of the baby after birth.

5. Can COVID-19 be passed from a pregnant woman to the fetus or newborn?

   We still do not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus that causes COVID-19 to her fetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery. No infants born to mothers with COVID-19 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. In these cases, which are a small number, the virus was not found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.

6. If a pregnant woman has COVID-19 during pregnancy, will it hurt the baby?

   We do not know at this time what if any risk is posed to infants of a pregnant woman who has COVID-19. There have been a small number of reported problems with pregnancy or delivery (e.g. preterm birth) in babies born to mothers who tested positive for COVID-19 during their pregnancy. However, it is not clear that these outcomes were related to maternal infection.

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