Laboring Through the Pandemic

During the coronavirus lockdown in Nepal, hospital births dropped 50%, and stillbirths and infant deaths rose by about the same amount, according to a Lancet Global Health study published last month.
 
There are signs that COVID-19 is having similar impacts in other countries, Der Spiegel reports. 

In one Harare, Zimbabwe hospital, 7 babies died during childbirth on a single July night. 
 
Staff shortages are a major factor, as COVID-19 care is overwhelming hospitals and health workers strike amid PPE shortages.
 
The accompanying rise in home births has overwhelmed midwives: "Sometimes, they are trying to care for three women with strong contractions, but only have a single pair of gloves," says Brian Inganga, a Kenyan photographer documenting birth amid the pandemic.