Although there is low prevalence of SARS Cov-2 virus in asymptomatic pregnant women, researchers now suggest universal testing of pregnant women as part of a multi-pronged approach to reduce transmission of the novel coronavirus in hospitals and clinics.

"Although our results indicate a low prevalence of SARS Cov-2 in an asymptomatic pregnant population, we believe that universal testing of this population can provide a window into the community prevalence of infection, which can, in turn, help guide decision-making about moving between mitigation versus containment measures in the hospital and in the community," explained lead author Ilona Telefus Goldfarb from Massachusetts General and Harvard Medical School.