None of the 35 pregnant women with Covid-19 who were admitted to intensive care (ICU) this year were fully vaccinated, according to a new report.

One of the women was partially vaccinated and the other 34 were unvaccinated, the report by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre states.

The number of women requiring ICU admission has soared since the arrival of the Delta variant this year. The 35 Covid-19 patients in ICU who were pregnant, or within six weeks of having given birth, this year compares with just five last year, before vaccines were available.

Hospital Report

Many of these women were seriously ill and required significant medical intervention, the report shows; almost half received invasive ventilatory support while in ICU and a further fifth received non-invasive ventilatory support.

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One pregnant woman spent 77 days in ICU and the average length of stay was 13 days.

The women varied in age from 18 to 44 years old and the median age was 32.

About half the women were in the third trimester. A third had an underlying condition.

Men accounted for almost two-thirds of the 1,884 Covid-19 admissions to ICU since the pandemic started in March 2020.

Of the female cases, 20 per cent were aged 44 and under. Pregnant women accounted for 30 per cent of ICU admissions among women aged between 15 and 44 years.

Official recommendations for women to take the Covid-19 vaccine have been progressively strengthened during the course of this year as the threat posed by the Delta variant has become apparent. Vaccination is now recommended at all stages of pregnancy.