 Also today, it's a breakthrough discovery that could lead to new treatments for lupus. And why are pregnant women at a greater risk for developing long COVID? Nearly 1 in 10 pregnant women who get COVID will develop long COVID. That's the findings of a study by the University of Utah Health. This could be because immune systems in pregnant people don't react as strongly to infections. Prior research has found catching COVID while pregnant increases the risk of complications, hospitalization, and death.