Koronadal City— Six of the 11 recorded maternal deaths in South Cotabato died due to COVID-19 infection, Safe Motherhood Program Coordinator Shirlene Reyes said.
“These mothers didn’t submit themselves for COVID vaccination,” Reyes said during the weekly Kapihan sa Kapitolyo.
Pregnant women are among the priority population for COVID-19 vaccination. Reyes explained that COVID 19 vaccine can help protect pregnant women from getting very sick during pregnancy.
“If you are pregnant, you have high risk of getting sick but, if you receive COVID-19 vaccine you are most likely to recover,” she pointed out.
Meanwhile, during the COVID-19 pandemic home deliveries were high while access to ante-natal care went down, too, Genesis Navales, Nurse III, said.
Further, according to Maternal Death Review Response, cases of hemorrhage during child birth were high in South Cotabato during the pandemic. Hemorrhage remains as one of the top 3 obstetrics related causes of maternal mortality, with most deaths occurring within 24-48 hours of delivery.
“Our health workers exercised maximum COVID prevention protocols,” Navales assured, encouraging pregnant women to visit the nearest health centers in their area.
