Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Suggests Timing Of Covid Shot During Pregnancy Could Be Key
The New York Times: Evidence Builds That Pregnant Women Pass Covid Antibodies To Newborns
One of the many big questions scientists are trying to untangle is whether people who get Covid-19 during pregnancy will pass on some natural immunity to their newborns. Recent studies have hinted that they might. And new findings, published Friday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, provide another piece of the puzzle, offering more evidence that Covid-19 antibodies can cross the placenta. (Caron, 1/29)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Antibodies Transmit From Moms To Babies During Pregnancy
Because placental antibody transfer begins at about 17 weeks of gestation and rises exponentially from then on, vaccinating mothers early in the second trimester might be optimal to achieving high antibody levels in newborns, she said. "While a serologic correlate of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatic or severe disease is unknown at this time, higher antibody levels might result in a better chance for protection of the newborn during a period of special vulnerability," said Flor Munoz, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 1/29)
Also —
CIDRAP: COVID Inflammatory Syndrome In Kids Ranges From Mild To Life-Threatening
An international survey of 183 pediatric patients with the rare but serious COVID-19–related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) shows broad clinical presentations, from mild illness featuring fever and inflammation to life-threatening shock similar to that of Kawasaki disease (KD).The study, led by researchers at Royal Brompton Hospital in London and published today in Pediatrics, was a retrospective case series of children younger than 18 years diagnosed as having MIS-C who were released from the hospital or died from Mar 1 to Jun 15, 2020, from 33 hospitals in American, Asian, and European countries. (1/29)
The Hill: Fauci Hopes To See Vaccinations For Children By 'Late Spring And Early Summer'
Top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said on Friday during a White House coronavirus briefing that he would like to see vaccines against the disease extended to children within the next few months. “Hopefully by the time we get to the late spring and early summer we will have children being able to be vaccinated,” Fauci said. (Lonas, 1/29)
