Extremely Preterm Infant Admissions Within the SafeBoosC-III Consortium During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Area of Science:

• Neonatology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic prompted global lockdowns, raising concerns about potential impacts on birth rates.
• Previous reports suggested a possible reduction in extremely preterm births during the initial pandemic phase.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the number of extremely preterm (EP) infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) changed during the COVID-19 global lockdown compared to 2019.
• To assess the association between lockdown stringency and changes in EP infant admissions.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, observational study involving 46 NICUs across 17 countries within the SafeBoosC-III consortium.
• Data collected included EP infant admissions during the 3 most rigorous lockdown months and the corresponding period in 2019.
• Information on local restriction levels and their impact on pregnant women was also gathered.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference was found in EP infant admissions between the lockdown period (428 infants) and the same period in 2019 (457 infants).
• There was no significant association between the level of lockdown restrictions and the difference in EP infant admissions.
• A post-hoc analysis revealed a 10.3% decrease in total NICU admissions in 2020 compared to 2019.

Conclusions:

• This study did not confirm previous reports of a significant reduction in extremely preterm births during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The findings suggest that while overall NICU admissions may have decreased, extremely preterm births remained relatively stable.