Changes in Preterm and Low Birthweight Birth Rate During the COVID-19 Lockdown at Two San Francisco Hospitals

In San Francisco, COVID-19 lockdowns lowered the preterm birth and increased gestational duration in infants comparing 2019 with 2020 for August to December. The reduced in preterm birth rates may be related to the overall strict lockdown measures that San Francisco implemented compared with other US cities. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS TO THE CLINICAL WORK?: This study suggests that COVID-19 lockdowns lowered the preterm birth rate in August -December 2020 compared with the same months in 2019 in two hospitals in San Francisco. San Francisco had strict lockdowns compared with other areas of the country and fewer deaths. The stay-at-home measures could possibly have reduced stress for pregnant women or had other positive benefits that reduced the preterm birth rate.