Illinois congressional members urge feds to do more to track COVID-19 in pregnant women

Six Illinois congressional members joined nearly 60 of their colleagues last week in calling for the federal government to take further steps to understand the risks and effects of new coronavirus on pregnant women.

In a letter sent Friday to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the 62 lawmakers called on the agency to outline steps it is taking to ensure pregnancy status is included in COVID-19 data collection, documentation and reporting. They also urged the agency to take proactive steps when gathering the data to make sure it promotes racial, ethnic and geographical diversity.

“As we seek to collect more comprehensive COVID-19 data for pregnant women, an equitable approach must include a focused consideration of women of color, who already experience disproportionate rates of adverse maternal health outcomes,” the letter said. “In order to take appropriate steps to protect pregnant and postpartum women from COVID-19 risks, we must gather a stronger evidence base to inform future policy.”

Those who signed the letter include Reps. Bill Foster, D-Naperville; Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville; Cheri Bustos, D-Moline; Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston; Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove; and Danny Davis, D-Chicago.

The agency did not return a request for comment.

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