Delta surge puts pregnant women at higher risk of death, say Indonesian experts as 16,744 new Covid-19 cases reported on Saturday (Aug 21)

Throughout much of the developing world, many expecting mothers die of completely preventable causes because they either give birth in their own homes, without access to skilled birth attendants, or in facilities with limited basic emergency care or poor hygiene. - Shutterstock via The Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, Aug 21 (Jakarta Post/ANN): The late detection of Covid-19 is responsible for one-fifth of the deaths of pregnant women in Indonesia this year, the country’s obstetricians association has found.

Additionally, the recent surge in cases driven by the more infectious Delta variant may put expecting mothers at greater risk even as the government scrambles to prioritize their treatment, it said.