Kildare TD Questions HSE's Claim Of "Slight" Increase In Pregnant Women Contracting Covid.

New data shows over 1,000 women contracted the virus in the 3rd wave, compared to 189 in the first wave.

A Kildare TD has called on the Health Service Executive to clarify its remarks to her in light of new information.

On Friday, Sinn Féin TD, Réada Cronin, received a response from the HSE to a query about the number of pregnant women contracting Covid 19.

"On Friday, the HSE wrote to me that pregnant women with Covid-19 are 'slightly more likely' to develop serious complications than non-pregnant women.

"But this morning, Professor Fergal Malone of the Rotunda Hospital is quoted saying in the Irish Independent that 'there are significant risks associated with Covid-19 in pregnancy in terms of the mother getting very sick and in terms of placentitis and potential stillbirths. Those are real, we have seen it time and time again.'

"Both these positions of ‘slight’ and ‘significant’ risk cannot be correct, and women need to know which position represents official public health advice.

"I have been seeking urgent information about Covid-19, pregnant women and ICU admissions, both from the Minister for Health and the HSE for some time now."

The number of pregnant women diagnosed with Covid-19 has risen from 189 in the first wave to more than 1,000 during the most recent wave of the pandemic.https://t.co/AEP1GDNZRq

— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) May 3, 2021

Its also emerged that almost a thousand more pregnant women were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the last wave than in the first wave of the virus.

1,147 women who were over 6 weeks pregnant were diagnosed with the virus in the last wave.

That's an increase of 958 cases since the first wave between March and August last year.

Last week NIAC said pregnant women will be prioritised for a covid vaccine under new guidelines.

Liam Fanning is a Professor of Immuno-virology at UCC.

He says the significant increase in cases found in pregnant women could be a result of the UK variant, which is more transmissible: