The disease COVID-19 emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spread, causing a pandemic that is ongoing and has resulted in more than two million deaths worldwide. COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which spreads effectively by direct contact with an infected person or contaminated surface, droplet or aerosol transmission. Vertical transmission, if it does occur, is rare. Among women of childbearing age, most will have mild or asymptomatic infection; severe illness is uncommon. Severe illness is more common in the later stages of pregnancy, when it is associated with complications, including intensive care admission, maternal death and an increased risk of iatrogenic preterm birth. Women who are older, from minority ethnic groups, who are overweight or obese, who have comorbidities or who live with socioeconomic deprivation are more likely to experience severe illness than women without these characteristics.