There were more women than men in the 20-39 age group admitted to hospital with Covid-19, according to documents from scientists advising the government.
In a set of papers published by Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on Friday, the experts said this increase in the number of women in hospital could be attributed to a lower threshold for admission when testing positive for Covid-19, as well as labour and birth and pregnancy-related complications.
The scientists, who included experts from the universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Liverpool, also said maternal mortality rates in the UK have increased during the pandemic, although they stressed that Covid-19 may not be the sole reason.
They added that the mortality rates for mothers-to-be for March 2020-February 2021 may be at least 20% higher than in previous recent years (12 per 100,000 maternities compared to 10 per 100,000).
These include indirect deaths, due to women delaying going to the hospital or concealing pregnancy.
