COVID-19: One Year Later

March 31, 2021

"Sickness has been my world over recent weeks."

"We are now living day to day, sometimes hour to hour, or minute to minute."

"I felt uncertain and afraid - afraid for my own family, afraid for all of us, and afraid for our patients."

"My stories are endless and some of my wounds are still too fresh to share."

-From reflections on COVID-19, published March-June 2020

Just over one year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. On March 13, 2020, the first pregnant patient in the NYP/CUIMC system tested positive for COVID-19. Providers, patients, and staff together faced a harrowing and uncertain journey battling against an illness about which little was known; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) became an invaluable resource. Elective procedures were temporarily halted, and never-before-seen measures enacted in the struggle to limit the spread of the disease.

During this difficult and frightening time, resilience, courage, teamwork, and innovation triumphed. As providers and staff put themselves at risk to continue to care for patients, they simultaneously compiled resources, data, strategies, and reflections to share the knowledge and experiences they were gaining while fighting COVID-19.

One year later, as the fight against COVID-19 continues at our hospital and hospitals across the world, and as light emerges at the end of the tunnel with vaccination numbers rising, we share a compendium of these resources.

Frontline Report: COVID-19 and Women's Health

Published in August 2020, our frontline report provides a compendium of experiences and lessons learned during the first two months of the pandemic in New York City. This resource is intended to keep providers, staff, and patients safe with valuable insights to better tackle surges of COVID-19 as they arise. Read here.

COVID-19 Dispatches

For the first several months of the pandemic, we shared regular updates from members of our team detailing their experiences and reflections on the pandemic and what it meant for them, their patients, and those around them. Read more.

Published Research

COVID-19 Pregnancy and Fertility Research

COVID-19 in pregnancy: early lessons AJOG MFM. Breslin N, Baptiste C, Miller R, Fuchs K, Goffman D, Gyamfi-Bannerman C, D’Alton M. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajogmf.2020.100111.
COVID-19 infection among asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women: Two weeks of confirmed presentations to an affiliated pair of New York City hospitals. Noelle Breslin, Caitlin Baptiste, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Russell Miller, Rebecca Martinez, Kyra Bernstein, Laurence Ring, Ruth Landau, Stephanie Purisch, Alexander M. Friedman, Karin Fuchs, Desmond Sutton, Maria Andrikopoulou, Devon Rupley, Jean-Ju Sheen, Janice Aubey, Noelia Zork, Leslie Moroz, Mirella Mourad, Ronald Wapner, Lynn L. Simpson, Mary E. D’Alton, Dena Goffman. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM (2020).
Universal Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in Women Admitted for Delivery. Desmond Sutton, MD, Karin Fuchs, MD, MHA, Mary D’Alton, MD, Dena Goffman, MD. New England Journal of Medicine (2020).
The emotional impact of the ASRM guidelines on fertility patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jenna Turocy, MD, Alex Robles, MD, Daniel Hercz, MD, Mary D’Alton, MD, Eric J. Forman, MD, Zev Williams, MD, PhD. medRxiv (2020).
Telehealth for High-Risk Pregnancies in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Aziz A, Zork N, Aubey JJ, Baptiste CD, D'Alton ME, Emeruwa UN, Fuchs KM, Goffman D, Gyamfi-Bannerman C, Haythe JH, LaSala AP, Madden N, Miller EC, Miller RS, Monk C, Moroz L, Ona S, Ring LE, Sheen JJ, Spiegel ES, Simpson LL, Yates HS, Friedman AM. Am J Perinatol. 2020 May 12. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1712121.
Rapid Development and Implementation of a Covid-19 Telehealth Clinic for Obstetric Patients. Jessica Spiegelman, MD, Nicole Krenitsky, MD, MBA, Sbaa Syeda, MD, Desmond Sutton, MD & Leslie Moroz, MD, MS. New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst. 2020 May 15. DOI: 10.1056/CAT.20.0170
Symptoms and Critical Illness Among Obstetric Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Infection. Maria Andrikopoulou, Nigel Madden, Timothy Wen, Janice J Aubey, Aleha Aziz, Caitlin D Baptiste, Noelle Breslin, Mary E DʼAlton, Karin M Fuchs, Dena Goffman, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Dara N Matseoane-Peterssen, Russell S Miller, Jean-Ju Sheen, Lynn L Simpson, Desmond Sutton, Noelia Zork, Alexander M Friedman. Obstet Gynecol. 2020 May 27. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000003996.
Telehealth Uptake Into Prenatal Care and Provider Attitudes During the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis. Nigel Madden, Ukachi N Emeruwa, Alexander M Friedman, Janice J Aubey, Aleha Aziz, Caitlin D Baptiste, Jaclyn M Coletta, Mary E D'Alton, Karin M Fuchs, Dena Goffman, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Sneha Kondragunta, Nicole Krenitsky, Russell S Miller, Chia-Ling Nhan-Chang, Ashanda M Saint Jean, Hemangi P Shukla, Lynn L Simpson, Erica S Spiegel, Hope S Yates, Noelia Zork, Samsiya Ona. Am J Perinatol. 2020 Jun 9. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1712939.
Understanding Risk for Newborns Born to SARS-CoV-2–Positive Mothers. Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD; Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, MD, MS. JAMA. Published online April 29, 2021. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6210

Telehealth Innovations During COVID-19

Telehealth for High-Risk Pregnancies in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Aziz A, Zork N, Aubey JJ, Baptiste CD, D'Alton ME, Emeruwa UN, Fuchs KM, Goffman D, Gyamfi-Bannerman C, Haythe JH, LaSala AP, Madden N, Miller EC, Miller RS, Monk C, Moroz L, Ona S, Ring LE, Sheen JJ, Spiegel ES, Simpson LL, Yates HS, Friedman AM. Am J Perinatol. 2020 May 12. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1712121.
Rapid Development and Implementation of a Covid-19 Telehealth Clinic for Obstetric Patients. Jessica Spiegelman, MD, Nicole Krenitsky, MD, MBA, Sbaa Syeda, MD, Desmond Sutton, MD & Leslie Moroz, MD, MS. New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst. 2020 May 15. DOI: 10.1056/CAT.20.0170
Telehealth Uptake Into Prenatal Care and Provider Attitudes During the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis. Nigel Madden, Ukachi N Emeruwa, Alexander M Friedman, Janice J Aubey, Aleha Aziz, Caitlin D Baptiste, Jaclyn M Coletta, Mary E D'Alton, Karin M Fuchs, Dena Goffman, Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, Sneha Kondragunta, Nicole Krenitsky, Russell S Miller, Chia-Ling Nhan-Chang, Ashanda M Saint Jean, Hemangi P Shukla, Lynn L Simpson, Erica S Spiegel, Hope S Yates, Noelia Zork, Samsiya Ona. Am J Perinatol. 2020 Jun 9. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1712939.
Influence of Race and Ethnicity on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Rates and Clinical Outcomes in Pregnancy. Emeruwa, Ukachi N. MD, MPH; Spiegelman, Jessica MD; Ona, Samsiya MD; Kahe, Ka MD, ScD; Miller, Russell S. MD; Fuchs, Karin M. MD, MHA; Aubey, Janice J. MD, MPH; Booker, Whitney MD; D'Alton, Mary E. MD; Friedman, Alexander M. MD, MPH; Aziz, Aleha MD, MPH; Sutton, Desmond MD; Purisch, Stephanie E. MD; Goffman, Dena MD; Melamed, Alexander MD, MPH; Gyamfi-Bannerman, Cynthia MD, MSc. Obstetrics & Gynecology: July 21, 2020. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004088

COVID-19 and Gynecologic Oncology

Gynecologic surgical considerations in the era of COVID-19. Wright JD, Advincula AP. Semin Perinatol. 2020 Oct;44(6):151296. doi: 10.1016/j.semperi.2020.151296. Epub 2020 Jul 23.PMID: 32861459
Effect of delay in surgical therapy for early-stage cervical cancer: An implication in the coronavirus pandemic. Matsuo K, Huang Y, Matsuzaki S, Klar M, Wright JD. Eur J Cancer. 2020 Nov;139:173-176. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.08.025. Epub 2020 Sep 29.PMID: 32992156 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Coronavirus Spectrum Infections (COVID-19, MERS, SARS) in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review of the Literature.. Knisely A, Wu J, Kaplan SJ, Zhou ZN, Melamed A, Tergas AI, St Clair CM, Hou JY, Khoury-Collado F, Huang YY, Hershman DL, Wright JD. Cancer Invest. 2020 Sep;38(8-9):436-444. doi: 10.1080/07357907.2020.1809668. Epub 2020 Oct 5.PMID: 32787597
COVID-19 outcomes of patients with gynecologic cancer in New York City. Lara OD, O'Cearbhaill RE, Smith MJ, Sutter ME, Knisely A, McEachron J, Gabor LR, Jee J, Fehniger JE, Lee YC, Isani SS, Wright JD, Pothuri B. Cancer. 2020 Oct 1;126(19):4294-4303. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33084. Epub 2020 Jul 30.PMID: 32729142
Inflammatory markers in gynecologic oncology patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection. Smith M, Lara OD, O'Cearbhaill R, Knisely A, McEachron J, Gabor L, Carr C, Blank S, Prasad-Hayes M, Frey M, Jee J, Fehniger J, Wang Y, Lee YC, Isani S, Wright JD, Pothuri B. Gynecol Oncol. 2020 Dec;159(3):618-622. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.09.036. Epub 2020 Sep 25.PMID: 33019984
Racial disparities in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 infection and gynecologic malignancy. Lara OD, Smith MJ, Wang Y, O'Cearbhaill R, Blank SV, Kolev V, Carr C, Knisely A, McEachron J, Gabor L, Chapman-Davis E, Jee J, Fehniger J, Lee YC, Isani S, Liu M, Wright JD, Pothuri B. Cancer. 2020 Dec 9. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33335. Online ahead of print.PMID: 33294978
Perioperative Morbidity and Mortality of Patients With COVID-19 Who Undergo Urgent and Emergent Surgical Procedures. Knisely A, Zhou ZN, Wu J, Huang Y, Holcomb K, Melamed A, Advincula AP, Lalwani A, Khoury-Collado F, Tergas AI, St Clair CM, Hou JY, Hershman DL, D'Alton ME, Huang YY, Wright JD. Ann Surg. 2021 Jan 1;273(1):34-40. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004420.PMID: 33074900

COVID-19 and Benign Gynecology

Gynecologic surgical considerations in the era of COVID-19. Wright JD, Advincula AP. Semin Perinatol. 2020 Oct;44(6):151296. doi: 10.1016/j.semperi.2020.151296. Epub 2020 Jul 23.PMID: 32861459
A guide for urogynecologic patient care utilizing telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic: review of existing evidence. Grimes CL, Balk EM, Crisp CC, Antosh DD, Murphy M, Halder GE, Jeppson PC, Weber LeBrun EE, Raman S, Kim-Fine S, Iglesia C, Dieter AA, Yurteri-Kaplan L, Adam G, Meriwether KV. Int Urogynecol J. 2020 Apr 27: 1-27.
Perioperative Morbidity and Mortality of Patients With COVID-19 Who Undergo Urgent and Emergent Surgical Procedures. Knisely A, Zhou ZN, Wu J, Huang Y, Holcomb K, Melamed A, Advincula AP, Lalwani A, Khoury-Collado F, Tergas AI, St Clair CM, Hou JY, Hershman DL, D'Alton ME, Huang YY, Wright JD. Ann Surg. 2021 Jan 1;273(1):34-40. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004420.PMID: 33074900
Surgical Outcomes in Benign Gynecologic Surgery Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic (SOCOVID study). The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. Rosanne M Kho, MD, Olivia H Chang, MD, Adam Hare, MD, Joseph Schaffer, MD, Jen Hamner, MD, Gina M Northington, MD, Nina Durchfort Metcalfe, MD, Cheryl, B Iglesia, MD, Anna S Zelivianskaia, MD, Hye-Chun Hur, MD, Sierra Seaman, MD, Margaret G Mueller, MD, Magdy Milad, MD, Charles Ascher-Walsh, MD, Kelsey Kossl, MD, Charles Rardin, MD, Moiuri Siddique, MD, Miles Murphy, MD, Michael Heit, MD. August 23, 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmig.2021.08.011

Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomics in COVID-19

Influence of Race and Ethnicity on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Rates and Clinical Outcomes in Pregnancy. Emeruwa, Ukachi N. MD, MPH; Spiegelman, Jessica MD; Ona, Samsiya MD; Kahe, Ka MD, ScD; Miller, Russell S. MD; Fuchs, Karin M. MD, MHA; Aubey, Janice J. MD, MPH; Booker, Whitney MD; D'Alton, Mary E. MD; Friedman, Alexander M. MD, MPH; Aziz, Aleha MD, MPH; Sutton, Desmond MD; Purisch, Stephanie E. MD; Goffman, Dena MD; Melamed, Alexander MD, MPH; Gyamfi-Bannerman, Cynthia MD, MSc. Obstetrics & Gynecology: July 21, 2020. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004088
Associations Between Built Environment, Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, and SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Pregnant Women in New York City. Ukachi N. Emeruwa, MD, MPH; Samsiya Ona, MD; Jeffrey L. Shaman, PhD; Amy Turitz, MD; Jason D. Wright, MD; Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, MD, MSc; Alexander Melamed, MD, MPH. JAMA. June 18, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.11370.
Racial disparities in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 infection and gynecologic malignancy. Lara OD, Smith MJ, Wang Y, O'Cearbhaill R, Blank SV, Kolev V, Carr C, Knisely A, McEachron J, Gabor L, Chapman-Davis E, Jee J, Fehniger J, Lee YC, Isani S, Liu M, Wright JD, Pothuri B. Cancer. 2020 Dec 9. doi: 10.1002/cncr.33335. Online ahead of print.PMID: 33294978

Innovations in COVID-19 Testing

Direct diagnostic testing of SARS-CoV-2 without the need for prior RNA extraction. Shan Wei, Esther Kohl, Alexandre Djandji, Stephanie Morgan, Susan Whittier, Mahesh Mansukhani, Eldad Hod, Mary D'Alton, Yousin Suh, Zev Williams. MedRxiv. 2020 June 2. doi: 10.1101/2020.05.28.20115220.
Field-deployable, rapid diagnostic testing of saliva samples for SARS-CoV-2. Shan Wei, Esther Kohl, Alexandre Djandji, Stephanie Morgan, Susan Whittier, Mahesh Mansukhani, Raymond Yeh, Juan Carlos Alejaldre, Elaine Fleck, Mary D'Alton, Yousin Suh, Zev Williams. MedRxiv. 2020 June 16. doi: 10.1101/2020.06.13.20129841.

Best Practices During COVID-19

COVID-SAFE: Strategies for safeguarding your outpatient clinical practice against COVID-19. Mary L Rosser, MD, PhD. OBG Manag. 2020 September;32(9):31-34, 43, e1, e2 | doi: 10.12788/obgm.0030
A pandemic playbook for residency programs in the COVID-19 era: Lessons learned from ObGyn programs at the epicenter. Julia Cron, MD Katherine T. Chen, MD, MPH Rini B. Ritan, MD Abigail Ford Winkel, MD, MHPE Karen Duncan MD Erika Banks, MD. OBG Manag. 2020 August;32(8):30-34 | doi: 10.12788/obgm.0025

COVID-19 Outcomes and Impacts

COVID-19’s Impact on Genetics at One Medical Center in New York. Elaine M. Pereira MD, Columbia University Clinical Genetics Professionals including Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Consortia Members: Stephanie Galloway MS, CGC, Jessica L. Giordano MS, CGC, Nina Harkavy MS, CGC, Rupinder Kakar MS, Erica Spiegel MS, CGC & Ronald J. Wapner MD, and Wendy K. Chung MD, PhD. Genet Med (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-020-0857-7
Outcomes of Neonates Born to Mothers With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection at a Large Medical Center in New York City. Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD; Ukachi N. Emeruwa, MD, MPH; Erin Hanft, MD; Grace V. Liao, MD; Elizabeth Ludwig, MD; Lauren Walzer, DO; Brittany Arditi, MD, MSCR; Minna Saslaw, MD; Maria Andrikopoulou, MD, PhD; Tessa Scripps, MD; Caitlin Baptiste, MD; Adrita Khan, MD; Noelle Breslin, MD; David Rubenstein, MD; Lynn L. Simpson, MD; Margaret H. Kyle, BA; Alexander M. Friedman, MD, MPH; Daniel S. Hirsch, MD; Russell S. Miller, MD; Cristina R. Fernández, MD, MPH; Karin M. Fuchs, MD, MHA; M. Kathleen Keown, MD; Melissa E. Glassman, MD, MPH, IBCLC; Ashley Stephens, MD; Archana Gupta, MD; Sally Sultan, MD; Caroline Sibblies, MD; Susan Whittier, PhD; Wanda Abreu, MD, IBCLC; Francis Akita, MD; Anna Penn, MD, PhD; Mary E. D’Alton, MD; Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD; Dena Goffman, MD; Lisa Saiman, MD, MPH; Melissa S. Stockwell, MD, MPH; Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, MD, MSc. JAMA Pediatr. Published online October 12, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.4298
Where Have All the Emergencies Gone? The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obstetric and gynecologic procedures and consults at a New York City hospital. Emily E Spurlin, Esther S Han, Elisabeth R Silver, Benjamin L May, Nicholas P Tatonetti, Myles A Ingram, Zhezhen Jin, Chin Hur, Arnold P Advincula, Hye-Chun Hur. JAMA Pediatr. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2020 Nov 25;S1553-4650(20)31130-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2020.11.012.
Understanding Risk for Newborns Born to SARS-CoV-2–Positive Mothers. Dani Dumitriu, MD, PhD; Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, MD, MS. JAMA. Published online April 29, 2021. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.6210
Surgical Outcomes in Benign Gynecologic Surgery Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic (SOCOVID study). The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. Rosanne M Kho, MD, Olivia H Chang, MD, Adam Hare, MD, Joseph Schaffer, MD, Jen Hamner, MD, Gina M Northington, MD, Nina Durchfort Metcalfe, MD, Cheryl, B Iglesia, MD, Anna S Zelivianskaia, MD, Hye-Chun Hur, MD, Sierra Seaman, MD, Margaret G Mueller, MD, Magdy Milad, MD, Charles Ascher-Walsh, MD, Kelsey Kossl, MD, Charles Rardin, MD, Moiuri Siddique, MD, Miles Murphy, MD, Michael Heit, MD. August 23, 2021 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmig.2021.08.011

COVID-19 and Family Planning

A hospital-based COVID-19 abortion case in the early phase of the pandemic. Nancy Z. Fang, Paula M. Castaño, Anne Davis. Contraception. 2020 May 19. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2020.05.005

COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know

In this webinar from March 2020, pregnancy and fertility experts from Columbia Ob/Gyn discuss the risks and benefits associated with the COVID-19 vaccine, for people who are pregnant and trying to become pregnant. Watch here.