Coronavirus Watch: How pregnant people got left behind in vaccine pushes
A year ago, there was little to no data on vaccine safety for pregnant people because they had been excluded from clinical trials run by vaccine makers.
So health experts were unsure and divided about how to advise expectant parents. The uncertainty led many women to delay vaccination.
Only about two-thirds of pregnant people were fully vaccinated as of Feb. 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leaving many expectant moms at a high risk of infection and life-threatening complications.
It's Monday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN network. Here's more news to know:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed mask recommendations for most Americans on Friday, releasing a color-coded map to help residents determine if they should wear masks indoors in their area.
- Nearly half of the 500 million free COVID-19 tests the Biden administration recently made available to the public still have not been claimed as virus cases plummet and people feel less urgency to test.
- The Wuhan market long suspected as the genesis of the coronavirus was indeed where the pandemic most likely started, according to two new studies.
See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 76% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 64% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
– Cady Stanton, Paste BN digital editor fellow, @cady_stanton