Severity of Maternal Illness in Pregnancy during COVID-19 Pandemic

The current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, has caused a global pandemic with over 77.5 million confirmed cases and more than 1.7 million deaths as of late December 2020. An overarching question is whether pregnant women are susceptible to COVID-19 infection and increased severity of disease. Physiological and hormonal changes during pregnancy have a significant impact on the immune system, respiratory system, cardiovascular function, and coagulation. These may have positive or negative effects on COVID-19 disease progression. Pregnancy provides a complex challenge for the maternal immune system as it needs to protect the mother against infections while creating immune tolerance of the semi-allogeneic fetus.