As this Technical Brief notes, studies to date do not show an increased risk of severe disease in late pregnancy or substantial risk to the newborn from COVID-19. But its impact on acute care services in settings with under-resourced health systems is likely to be substantial. The brief provides guidance on continuing to deliver a high level of antenatal care.
It serves as an adjunct to the UNFPA COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services to provide interim guidance on providing phone-based antenatal care (ANC) in the immediate clinical situation during COVID-19. These recommendations are provided as a resource based on a combination of WHO guidelines, good practice and expert advice based on the latest scientific evidence. The situation with COVID-19 is evolving rapidly and the guidance will continue to be updated if and when new evidence or information becomes available.
