Post lockdown COVID-19 seroprevalence and circulation at the time of delivery, France

BACKGROUND: To fight the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown has been decreed in many countries worldwide The impact of pregnancy as a severity risk factor is still debated, but strict lockdown measures have been recommended for pregnant women OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on the seroprevalence and circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in a maternity ward in an area that has been significantly affected by the virus STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study at the Antoine Beclere Hospital maternity ward (Paris area, France) from May 4 (one week before the end of lockdown) to May 31, 2020 (three weeks after the end of lockdown) All patients admitted to the delivery room during this period were offered a SARS-CoV-2 serology test as well concomitant SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR on one nasopharyngeal sample RESULTS: A total of 249 women were included Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 8% The RT-PCR positive rate was 0 5% 47 4% of the SARS-CoV-2-IgG-positive pregnant women never experienced any symptoms A history of symptoms during the epidemic, such as fever (15 8%), myalgia (36 8%) and anosmia (31 6%), was suggestive of previous infection CONCLUSIONS: Three weeks after the end of French lockdown, SARS-CoV-2 infections were scarce in our region A very high proportion of SARS-CoV-2-IgG-negative pregnant women, which is comparable to that of the general population, must be taken into consideration in the event of a resurgence of the pandemic The traces of a past active circulation of the virus in this fragile population during the spring wave should encourage public health authorities to take specific measures for this independent at-risk group, in order to reduce viral circulation in pregnant patients