Yet Another Reason Why Getting Vaccinated During Pregnancy Is a Good Idea
For pregnant people, the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines was a cause for excitement and worry. Would the new shots pose any risks to an unborn child? Would it come with benefits? After gathering safety data, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first urged expectant moms to get vaccinated in August 2021, stating that contracting COVID-19 during pregnancy poses a risk to the mother. Now, new evidence bolsters that advice and adds even more incentive: lasting protection for the infant.
As my colleague Jamie Ducharme reports, a new study from the CDC finds that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy helps protect newborns from becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. Babies born to mothers who received two mRNA vaccine doses during pregnancy were 61% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 during their first six months of life, compared to babies born to women who were not vaccinated during pregnancy.
Getting vaccinated later in a pregnancy seemed to be more effective than getting vaccinated earlier on. Babies born to mothers who were vaccinated at least 21 weeks into their pregnancies were 80% less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those with unvaccinated moms; that number dropped to 32% for babies born to mothers who got their shots in the first 20 weeks. However, waiting to be vaccinated comes with the real risk of contracting COVID-19, which is why the CDC recommends getting vaccinated as soon as possible.
Vaccine uptake among pregnant people was already on the rise. According to TIME's analysis of data from the CDC's National Immunization Survey for COVID, in May 2021, 71.6% of pregnant women reported being unvaccinated. That dropped to 30.5% by December—likely due to both the CDC's urging and the fact that many newly pregnant women had already gotten vaccinated before conceiving. With new evidence like this week's study, public health experts hope that the number of unvaccinated pregnant women will fall even further.
More than 415 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 5.8 million people have died. On Feb. 15, there were 1.62 million new cases and 9,634 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 78 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 925,000 people have died. On Feb. 15, there were 110,453 new cases and 2,595 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Feb. 16, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
As Hong Kong struggles with its worst COVID-19 outbreak yet, China is intervening; Vice Premier Han Zheng instructed Hong Kong officials to employ the zero-COVID policy that has kept the virus under control in mainland China, reports the Associated Press. In practice, that means stricter lockdowns, extensive contact tracing, and mass testing. The mainland has also pledged to provide Hong Kong with more rapid antigen tests and other supplies, as well as medical personnel.
Switzerland is lifting most of its COVID-19 restrictions tomorrow,reports Reuters. The requirement to wear masks on public transportation and in health care facilities will remain in place—as will a mandatory five-day isolation period for people who test positive—but those, too, are being described as temporary measures. "The light on the horizon is very visible," President Ignazio Cassis said during a news conference. "We are learning how to live with the virus."
As the Omicron wave ebbs in the U.S., consumer spending is surging, reports the Wall Street Journal. In January, sales rose by 3.8% over the previous month, despite inflation reaching a 40-year high. That represents the strongest one-month gain since last March, when pandemic-related stimulus money was still being distributed to households. Online sales and big purchases like furniture led the increase.
There have now been more than 1 million excess deaths in the U.S. during the pandemic,according to figures compiled by the CDC. “Excess deaths” are those that go beyond what would be expected in a normal year or other designated period of time. In 2019, before the pandemic began, 2.8 million Americans died; more than half a million additional deaths were recorded per year in 2020 and 2021. The vast majority of those excess deaths were caused by COVID-19, but other illnesses, including heart disease, hypertension and dementia—often left untreated due to overflowing hospitals—also contributed to the total.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland will no longer require face coverings for vaccinated visitors, reports the New York Times. Mask rules remain in place on all forms of transportation in the theme parks, and employees must remain masked-up, too. The Disney move follows a similar loosening of restrictions by Universal Orlando Resorts, which lifted masking requirements on Feb. 12. Even guests who have not been vaccinated are not required to wear a mask at Universal, though they are urged to.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jeffrey Kluger and edited by Mandy Oaklander.
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