With its initial appearance in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the coronavirus disease-related respiratory infection (COVID-19) has rapidly spread among people all over the world. Due of its detrimental effects on global health, the World Health Organization (WHO) considered this disease to be a pandemic in March 2020.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreaks have proved that pregnant females as well as their fetuses are exposed to adverse outcomes, including high rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and case fatality.
Physiological changes occurring during pregnancy such as the increased transverse diameter of the thoracic cage as well as the elevation of the diaphragm can expose the mother to severe infections because of her decreased tolerance for hypoxia.
Furthermore, vasodilation and changes in lung capacity can cause mucosal edema and an increase in upper respiratory tract secretions. In addition, the increased susceptibility to infection is enhanced by changes in cell-mediated immunity.