Govt Advises Women To Postpone Pregnancy, If Possible

In a first of its kind directive since the coronavirus pandemic broke last year, the Brazilian government has advised women to postpone pregnancy, if possible.

According to CNN, a government official said that the variants of coronavirus have been more aggressive in pregnant women.

Hence women should consider “delaying pregnancy a bit to a better time so that they can have a more peaceful pregnancy,” primary healthcare secretary of Brazilian health ministry Raphael Camara stated during a news conference.

“We cannot say this to those who are 42, 43 years old, of course, but for a young woman who can, the best thing is to wait for a little,” Camara added.

The government is still working on studies related to pregnancy and coronavirus variants, but Camara said: “The clinical view of experts shows that the new variant has a more aggressive action on pregnant women. Before, severity was linked to the end of the pregnancy, but now (they) see a more serious evolution in the second trimester and even in the first trimester.”

Brazil has so far reported over 3,68,000 deaths since March 2020 – the second most after the US.

And according to a team of experts, the Latin American country could be headed for even worse times.

P.1, the variant they are extremely concerned about, surfaced in Brazilian city Manaus and is estimated to be 1.4-2.2 times more transmissible.