Ireland investigates stillbirths linked to COVID-19

Irish health officials are investigating four stillbirths potentially linked to COVID-19, the Republic's deputy chief medical officer said Thursday.

Ronan Glynn said officials have been "made aware of four preliminary reports of stillbirths potentially associated with a condition called COVID Placentitis".

Glynn told reporters in Dublin that coroners had reported the cases, in which pregnant women have tested positive for the coronavirus and subsequently suffered stillbirths.

The cause of the stillbirth in such cases is infection of the placenta, he said.

Glynn cautioned that "further work needs to be done" before the findings can be confirmed.

"I can't give too much detail because there's not too much more details to give at this point," he said.

Ireland has suffered 4,396 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic according to latest official figures.

The nation is currently in the midst of its third lockdown after suffering the highest rate of infection per capita in the world in early January.

© 2021 AFP