NEW YORK (Reuters) – Pregnant women have increased risk of severe COVID-19 compared to women who are not pregnant, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention Robert Redfield told reporters on Thursday, warning that states with rising coronavirus cases need to take action.
The CDC has found that pregnant women are more likely to be admitted to the ICU and to be put on mechanical ventilators than non-pregnant women, he said.
Redfield said that more infections among young people in Florida and Texas could partly be attributed to an increase in diagnosing illness among that group, whose members are less likely to be hospitalized than older people.
He said the agency plans to use social media platform Tik Tok to try to reach young people with warnings to keep a distance of 6 feet, wear a face covering and avoid large gatherings.
(Reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
