Baptist and her cousin, Christy Pope are only two of four maternal deaths in the past couple weeks. And another pregnant woman passed away on Friday morning. According to police reports, a 25-year-old was diagnosed with COVID and was being treated at the KHMH last Thursday until she self discharged around 3am on Friday morning. Her husband, a 42-year-old told police that he had checked on his wife at 9am that same morning while they were both at their home on the Philip Goldson Highway. He saw that she was still alive but 5 minutes later, when he went back to see her, she had passed away. She, too, had been pregnant - and her baby died with her.
According to Dr Sosa, the chairman on the KHMH board, this trend is new since during the last wave, there were only 2 maternal deaths. He explained that there are several factors causing it, including the new variant and the lack of vaccinations.
Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman, KHMH
"That's an alarming trend. If we think back to 2020 there were only 2 maternal deaths for that year in relation to covid. In the last 4 weeks, we've had 4 (deaths) and I think that it is a reflection of the aggressiveness of the strain on the virus that we are facing in this third wave which is the Delta virus. That is where I think we need to focus our efforts."
Reporter
"Is it a matter where the women weren't vaccinated?"
Dr. Andre Sosa, Chairman, KHMH
"It seems that overwhelmingly that was the case. I know that there is a lot of vaccine hesitancy and there also seems to exist some degree of concern, particularly amongst pregnant women for being vaccinated. I will state that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in the United States has found no significant increase of complications or risks for women who plan to be pregnant and become vaccinated, for pregnant women who are vaccinated or indeed for breast feeding women who have been vaccinated. So the vaccine I think offers a great degree of protection which is something that we need to try and bring to all the pregnant population of Belize to help prevent any more of these lamentable occurrences."
"I wouldn't doubt that lack of information or even misinformation might be playing a role. It is though our responsibility as healthcare professionals both through the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, through the Ministry of Health and Wellness and all the clinics throughout the length and breadth of this country to try to change the narrative to ensure that all the necessary and accurate information is made available so that this population can be better protected."
And while pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have been encouraged to get vaccinated, a release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness says that now, the Pfizer vaccine is also available to them. The release adds, quote, "The information available on vaccination during pregnancy raises no concern regarding safety or effectiveness; however, pregnant women should discuss the vaccine with their health care provider. The Ministry of Health & Wellness urges pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as vaccinated persons are less likely to get infected, develop severe symptoms, or be hospitalized due to COVID-19." End quote. To get the Pfizer, pregnant women are advised to visit designated school compounds that are serving as vaccination sites.
