ACOG Highlights Needed Action from Congress, the Administration in Response to New CDC Data

The data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that pregnant patients with COVID-19 are at increased risk for severe illness reinforces the need for additional legislative and administrative action to prioritize the health and safety of pregnant patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. ACOG reinforced our priorities to improve health outcomes for pregnant and lactating patients, particularly communities of color that are inequitably affected by the virus. Specifically, ACOG calls on Congress and the Administration to:

Prioritize maternity care and ensure physicians and patients have the equipment and testing they need to stay safe

• To preserve the health and safety of laboring patients and their obstetric care professionals, it is critical that labor and delivery units be considered high priority for the distribution of rapid-response diagnostic testing and PPE
• Continue leveraging all mechanisms at their disposal to increase the production and appropriate distribution of PPE and rapid-response diagnostic testing

Ensure that pregnant and breastfeeding people and communities of color are included in research and data collection

• Use the authorities at their disposal to require collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data for all diagnostic tests, positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths
• Encourage safe inclusion of pregnant and lactating women, including women of color, in trials for vaccines and therapeutics

ACOG continues to advocate for additional federal legislation to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the needs of obstetrician-gynecologists and their patients. Click here to see the broad array of COVID-19 legislative priorities.

Want to join the conversation? Email your Members of Congress today using ACOG’s advocacy tool and tell them to pass additional COVID-19 response legislation that prioritizes you, your practice, and your patients.