The Women’s Services team at Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has issued guidelines to pregnant women about the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
“There is currently limited information about the effects of Covid-19 on pregnant women. However, since pregnant women experience changes in their bodies, this may increase their risk of some infections and getting sicker, compared to the general population. Premature births have been reported among infants born to mothers that caught the Covid-19 virus during pregnancy; however, it is not clear that these outcomes were related to maternal infection. As with the current advice related to Covid-19, we recommend pregnant women follow the guidelines from Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health and keep in regular contact with their healthcare provider,” said the Women’s Services team at Sidra Medicine.
To reduce the risk of catching Covid-19, pregnant women have been advised to wash their hands with soap and water - often and very well - for at least 20 seconds. This should be done as soon as they come back home or are heading into work from a public place.
Other advices are :Use hand sanitiser, if soap and water are not available; cover mouth and nose with a tissue or the inner part of the elbow or the sleeve when they cough or sneeze; throw used tissues in the bin straight away and wash hands afterwards; avoid close contact with people who are unwell; avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth; Clean surfaces before touching anything including phone as viruses can last a few hours to a few days on surfaces; use a clean tissue to open doors and wash hands or use hand sanitiser; keep a safe space between them and others in public and avoid contact like shaking hands or hugs when greeting people and practice social distancing ; stay at home and avoid going to public places unless it is absolutely necessary and do not go out during rush or peak hours.
