Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Vaccines Safe In Pregnancy; Women Report More Side Effects
NPR: COVID-19 Vaccine Safe For Mom And Baby, New Study Suggests
Since the pandemic began, pregnant people have faced a difficult choice: to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. The risk of severe disease or even death from COVID-19 — while small — is higher during pregnancy. More than 82,000 coronavirus infections among pregnant individuals and 90 maternal deaths from the disease have been reported in the U.S. as of last month. But there's very little data on whether the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective during pregnancy, because people who are pregnant or breastfeeding weren't included in the initial clinical trials. (Pfizer recently began a new trial with 4,000 pregnant women.) (Greenhalgh, 4/2)
ABC News: COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Reported By Women More Than Men: Here's Why
If you are a woman who felt more severe side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine than your brother, father, male coworker or partner, you are not alone and not imagining things. The majority of side effects from the vaccine reported so far have been among women. This might be because women are more likely to willing than men to acknowledge symptoms like headache and fatigue, but there also may be a biological reason why women experience more severe side effects than men, experts say. (Kindelan, 4/5)
NBC News: Do You A Need Test To Tell You If You're Allergic To The Covid Vaccine Before Getting It?
When reports of severe allergic reactions among recipients of Covid-19 vaccines started surfacing, Angelina Giunta became worried. Even though Giunta, 61, of Brooklyn, New York, was desperate to get the vaccine after a year in quarantine, she'd had two severe allergic reactions to medications during treatment for cancer in 2017. "I want to get the vaccine because I want to move on with my life," Giunta said. "But I was extremely concerned." (Edwards, 4/5)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Are Louisiana Residents Getting COVID After Vaccines? Yes, But 'Breakthrough Cases' Expected
About 125 fully vaccinated people in Louisiana have tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after their last dose. That there is a small number of "breakthrough case" is no surprise. “I think it’s in line with what you would expect from the trials,” said Dr. Joe Kanter, the state health officer. A recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 90% effective against infection once two weeks have passed since the second of two doses. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is about 72% effective against moderate to severe disease, according to U.S. trials. (Woodruff, 4/2)
AP: The Final Insult: Some Dying Of COVID While Awaiting Vaccine
After months of hoping to receive a COVID-19 immunization and then weeks of fighting the illness after one never came, Air Force veteran Diane Drewes was down to her last few breaths at a hospice center in Ohio when the phone rang. It was a health care worker, calling to schedule her first appointment for a coronavirus shot. Drewes’ daughter Laura Brown was stunned by the timing of the call in January but didn’t lash out over the phone or even explain that her 75-year-old mom was at the point of death. There just wasn’t any point, she said. “But me and my sister were upset that it came too late,” Brown said. “It seemed like the final insult.” (Reeves, 4/3)
KHN: On The Air: Journalists Dive Deep Into Roots Of Vaccine Distrust In Prisons And Covid’s Toll On Public Health
Reporter Eric Berger discussed vaccine hesitancy among inmates at a Missouri correctional center with Newsy on Thursday. ... KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal discussed how the U.S. has focused on international terrorism at the expense of public health with the Los Angeles Times’ “Second Opinion” on March 28. She also joined North Carolina Public Radio’s “The People’s Pharmacy” radio program on March 25 to discuss how covid-19 has impacted the U.S. health system. (4/3)
Politico: Pharmacies Score Customer Data In Vaccine Effort. Some Are Crying Foul
Millions of Americans streaming through retail pharmacies to receive Covid vaccines have no choice but to hand over their personal information to those companies, raising red flags for privacy watchdogs who are pressing for oversight of how the pharmacies may use the data bonanza to boost their profits. Pharmacy chains like CVS Health, Walgreens, Rite Aid and others are playing an increasingly larger role in the nationwide inoculation effort, as vaccines become more widely available in the coming weeks. While providing vaccinations themselves aren’t a major moneymaker for the retailers, they have been able to scoop up data on new customers that could prove to be valuable. (Ravindranath and Luthi, 4/3)
Should you laminate your vaccination card? —
The New York Times: What You Need To Know About Your Covid-19 Vaccine Card
Laminating your card will make it more durable if you’re planning to carry it around in your wallet, though there has been some concern about lamination because it would prevent information from future booster shots from being added. (de Leon, 4/4)
CNN: You Should Think Twice Before Laminating Your Vaccine Card
Vaccine eligibility in the US is expanding quickly, and so is the popularity of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's little white card. While plans to establish standardized vaccination proof are still being developed, many are holding to their Covid-19 vaccine cards as a potential form of social currency. And companies, like Staples and Office Depot, are offering to help keep them safe with free lamination. (Morava and Lear, 4/4)
