U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Soared 40% During the Pandemic

The U.S. maternal mortality rate, already far higher than peer countries, soared during the pandemic. More than 1,200 women in the U.S. died of complications arising from pregnancy or childbirth in 2021, a 40% jump from 2020, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That amounts to 32.9 deaths for every 100,000 live births. The spread of COVID-19 was partly responsible for the grim statistic, with about a quarter of 2020 and 2021 deaths attributed to the virus, according to an October report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. However, the new data suggest little progress has been made on other factors adding to the uniquely high U.S. maternal mortality rate. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Before the pandemic a quarter of pregnancy-related deaths could be attributed to suicide, overdoses or other mental-health conditions, the CDC said in September. The group said more than 80% of the fatalities were preventable. Read More: You Can Do Everything ‘Right’ and Still Have a Preterm Birth Long-marginalized groups continue to suffer the most. The 2021 death rate for Black mothers was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, more than double the rate for White mothers. The year-over-year jumps for all groups were “significant,” according to the report. About a quarter of maternal deaths occurred during pregnancy and another quarter within a week of childbirth, the CDC found in a 2017-2019...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized bloomberg wire healthscienceclimate medicine Source Type: news