Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Exposure In Utero Could Affect Brain Development, Researchers Find
Bloomberg: Children’s Development May Be Affected By Covid During Pregnancy
For much of the pandemic, discussions of Covid-19 in pregnancy were dominated by a simple reassurance: Babies rarely tested positive. Doctors concluded that the virus seldom passed from mother to fetus. That message shaped medical guidance and public perception of the risks, but it was incomplete. Early studies relied heavily on nasal swab PCR tests that focused on whether babies had an active infection at birth. ... When researchers started using tests more sensitive than nasal swabs on newborns, evidence mounted that many babies had been exposed to the coronavirus in utero. (Gale, 1/30)
CIDRAP: Large Study Finds COVID-19 Shots Don’t Affect Fertility
During the pandemic, many women were afraid to be vaccinated because of widespread misinformation that COVID-19 shots would harm their chances of getting pregnant. But in a new study from Sweden, researchers found no statistically significant difference in rates of childbirth or miscarriage among vaccinated and unvaccinated women. (Szabo, 1/29)
On abortion, mammograms, and doulas —
Wyoming Public Radio: Abortion Could Be On The Ballot In Three Western States This Fall
Voters could weigh in on abortion rights this fall in Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. In the post-Roe v. Wade era, where decision-making power over abortion lies in state hands, ballot initiatives have become a popular way of restricting or protecting these rights, and often a way to get around courts. (Merzbach, 1/29)
MS Now: ‘We’re Going To Disrupt This Country’: Pardoned Anti-Abortion Activists Plot Mass Clinic Protests
A group of longtime abortion opponents, emboldened by Trump's pardons, regrouped in Washington to plan a new wave of demonstrations at abortion clinics. (McShane, 1/29)
MedPage Today: More Evidence Backs AI-Supported Mammography
Mammography screening supported by artificial intelligence (AI) showed consistently favorable outcomes compared with standard double reading by radiologists, including a noninferior interval cancer rate, according to results from the MASAI randomized trial. (Bassett, 1/29)
The Maine Monitor: Maine Indigenous Organization Trained 30 New Doulas
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness for the first time has trained about 30 doulas to help families leading up to and during birth as other birthing services across the state have ceased. Lisa Sockabasin, co-CEO of the health organization based in Bangor, said she heard from concerned community members about the crisis of closing birthing centers across Maine, so Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness decided to help fill in the gaps. Most of the participants in the late-September training were Indigenous, though some were not, she said. (Lundy, 1/29)
