More risks for pregnant women in COVID second wave
The Hindu
In the past three months, 14 pregnant women have died in Kerala of COVID-related complications
The second wave of COVID-19 has been impacting pregnant women in the State quite adversely. A sudden increase in maternal deaths and a handful of near-miss mortality events among pregnant women in Kerala in the past three months following COVID-19 have sent alarm bells ringing, with obstetricians calling for close monitoring of all pregnant women contracting COVID-19. “In the initial days of COVID-19, we were apprehensive about its impact on pregnant women but it did not pose a serious risk. But in its second wave, COVID-19 has been very aggressive and its presentation so different that we have been losing many mothers unexpectedly. We are extremely worried,” V.P. Paily, a senior obstetrician and the State coordinator of Confidential Review of Maternal Deaths, a maternal death auditing process undertaken by Kerala Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (KFOG), said. In the last one year from March, seven pregnant women in the State died of COVID-19. While some deaths were largely due to issues in advanced pregnancy, in some, COVID-19 aggravated underlying issues. However, this year, in the past three months alone, 14 pregnant women have lost their lives following COVID-related complications.The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Election Officer for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency M. P. Mullai Muhilan said here on Friday that over 600 staff will be involved in the counting of votes cast in the April 26 elections, at the counting centre at the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka, Surathkal, on June 4.