Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought exceptional challenges to global health. In Canada, a lockdown strategy was announced in March 2020 as a plan to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, there is an increasing concern that the pandemic lockdown might have negatively affected health services and patient outcomes, including mother and infant health. In many instances, the decreased access to health services created sub-optimal mother and infant care. In fact, primary studies show that pregnancy adverse outcomes, such as stillbirth, may have increased during the pandemic, merely due to the lockdown effects. Despite the increasing evidence of the negative effects of COVID-19 infection on pregnant women, studies evaluating the effects of the pandemic restrictions on pregnant women and newborns have shown conflicting results. My project has several goals that target this knowledge gap. First, we aim to compare the pregnancy outcomes occurring before and during the pandemic, focusing on the major pregnancy and newborn outcomes. Second, we will examine major medication classes used among pregnant women pre- and during the COVID-19 period. Third, we will examine the adequacy of health care received by pregnant women during this stressful period. We will use real-world data of linked mother-infant records from over 70,000 pregnancies to highlight the impact of pandemic restrictions on mothers and infants in Manitoba. Our studies can provide evidence to improve mother and infant's health care and prevent negative outcomes during future waves and pandemics.