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Despite an observed association between initial COVID-19 pandemic social distancing measures and higher rates of neonatal mortality, a new study based on US health statistics shows no such link. The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
Though initial shutdowns due to the pandemic helped control the spread of the virus, they also resulted in disrupted medical services and limited access to healthcare.
The study compared neonatal outcomes collected by the National Center for Health Statistics, a population-level US database, from 2016 through 2020 and included 18,011,173 births, of which 2,874,577 were from the pandemic period.
Late preterm births higher during pandemic
"The mortality rates during the pandemic period did not significantly differ from the expected rates," the authors said.
The mortality rates during the pandemic period did not significantly differ from the expected rates.
The social distancing index (SDI) was not significantly correlated with neonatal mortality in an unadjusted analysis, but it was significantly associated with higher neonatal mortality rates with a 2-month lag period.
"The finding of significant associations between the SDI and higher neonatal and early neonatal mortality with a 2-month lag period, and higher births at 22 to 27 weeks’ and 28 to 32 weeks’ gestational age with a 1-month lag period could possibly be due to disruptions in prenatal care and the resultant pregnancy complications that were more pronounced not immediately but after a lag period," the authors concluded.