Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More COVID Surprises: Baby Born With Antibodies; Long-Haulers' Teeth May Suddenly Fall Out
Reuters: Singapore Studies COVID-19 Pregnancy Puzzle After Baby Born With Antibodies
Doctors are studying the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their unborn babies in Singapore, where an infant delivered by an infected mother earlier this month had antibodies against the virus but did not carry the disease. The ongoing study among the city-state’s public hospitals adds to international efforts to better understand whether the infection or antibodies can be transferred during pregnancy, and if the latter offers an effective shield against the virus. (Aravindan and Geddie, 11/30)
The Washington Post: Months After Contracting Coronavirus, Singaporean Woman Gives Birth To Child With Antibodies
Celine Ng-Chan, 31, is part of an ongoing study taking place at several public hospitals in Singapore that seeks to better understand the impacts of covid-19 on pregnant women and their babies. She told the paper that she and several family members all got sick in March after returning from a vacation in Europe, and that she experienced relatively mild symptoms while her mother spent nearly a month on life support. At the time, Ng-Chan was 10 weeks pregnant. When her son, Aldrin, was born in early November, he had antibodies but not the virus — but her antibodies seemed to have disappeared. “My doctor suspects I have transferred my Covid-19 antibodies to him during my pregnancy,” Ng-Chan told the Straits Times. (Farzan, 11/30)
In other science and research news —
The New York Times: Could Covid-19 Cause Your Teeth To Fall Out?
Earlier this month, Farah Khemili popped a wintergreen breath mint in her mouth and noticed a strange sensation: a bottom tooth wiggling against her tongue. Ms. Khemili, 43, of Voorheesville, N.Y., had never lost an adult tooth. She touched the tooth to confirm it was loose, initially thinking the problem might be the mint. The next day, the tooth flew out of her mouth and into her hand. There was neither blood nor pain. (Yan, 11/26)
CIDRAP: Less Than 10% Of Americans Had COVID By September, Study Finds
Large-scale seroprevalence studies conducted over the summer show that, through September, less than 1 in 10 of Americans had evidence of previous coronavirus infection, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine. In the nationwide seroprevalence survey, researchers from the CDC's COVID-19 Response Team tested blood serum samples from people in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico during four periods from July through September, looking for the presence of detectable antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, (the virus that causes COVID-19. (Dall, 11/25)
