Category: Covid-19

Good morning, Mission, and welcome to Virus Village, your (somewhat regular) Covid-19 data dump.

Numbers continue to trend downwards as the Citywide 7-day average daily positivity rate dips to its lowest level since July 3.

In a breathless headline last month, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: New population figures change what we thought we knew about COVID in San Francisco The article went on to report that San Franciscos Department of Public Health uses dated population figures when reporting on neighborhood case and vaccination rates. Probably the same applies to age groups. Does this change what we know about how covid is affecting SF? To some degree, but not all that much. Given the lack of adequate data collection and reporting systems, at best, the numbers Covid Tracker reports help provide a general picture of the local virus spread.

In addition, the numbers (provided to the public) are valuable for watching trends (such as last years testing debacle), and suggesting questions, but dont expect answers, and certainly not certainty.

The real problem is the lack of key indicators provided by DPH, especially hospitalization demographics. The fear of hospital overload has driven much of the covid policies, yet DPH provides no demographic data whatsoever on hospitalizations. Nor are we given the cumulative number of hospitalizations, so we never know the infection/hospitalization rate and if it has changed over time. Did The Vaccine provoke a decoupling of cases from hospitalizations? We can only guess. And it doesnt help that for over a month, DPH has temporarily paused reporting on vaccination status of those hospitalized.

Contact tracing is another black hole, inviting many to ask whether DPH actually does contact tracing.

Recently it has begun to appear that racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to breakthrough infections. But this is data not reported, or apparently tracked, locally or nationally.

Probably the main argument for mass boosterism (pushed by Big Pharma) is data which shows a waning of the antibodies produced by The Vaccine. Some have argued that this concern has been overblown. Now some argue that waning antibodies are not only a natural and expected phenomenon, but may actually help, rather than hinder, long term immunity.

CalOHSA is debating whether or not to extend a mandate to pay those workers who get sick with covid or who must quarantine because of exposure. Why is this a debate? And will the agency enforce whatever it mandates?

Scroll down for todays covid numbers.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control data used for the chart lags behind the data supplied from the San Francisco Department of Public Health. As of Oct. 20, DPH reports more than89 percent of all San Francisco residents over 12 have received one dose, and 83 percentare completely vaccinated. For those over 65, better than 90 percent are fully vaccinated. New vaccinations, though low, keep on truckin. On Oct. 20, the seven-day rolling average of shots per day was 196. For information on where to get vaccinated in and around the Mission, visit ourVaccination Page.

On Oct. 16, DPH reports there were 50 covid hospitalizations,or about5.7 per 100,000 (based on an 874,000 population). DPH has not reported breakthrough hospitalizations and deaths since Sept. 17. According to the CDC, there were 39 new admissions for the seven days ending Oct. 19 (-9.30 percent from the previous seven days). For the week ending Oct. 19, covid patients accounted for 2.58percentof hospital beds (no change from the previous week) and5.62 percentof ICU beds (-.92 percent from the previous week). As of Oct. 18, the CDC says that, of more than 189 million vaccinated U.S. residents, 41,127 patients with a covid vaccine breakthrough infection were hospitalized or died (though 26 percent were either aymptomatic or not covid related). Note: 85 percent of the deaths and 66 percent of the non-fatal hospitalizations were among those 65 and older.

The latest report from the federal Department of Health and Human Services shows Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital with 6 covid patients and 7 ICU beds available, while across the Mission, CPMC had 5 covid patients and 5 ICU beds available. Of 59 reported covid patients,30 were at either SFGH or UCSF, with at least 76 ICU beds available among reporting hospitals. The California DPH says there are 80 ICU beds available in San Francisco. SFDPH wont say.

Between Aug. 18 and Oct. 17, DPH recorded 364 new cases in the Mission for a rate of 62 new cases per 10,000 residents. Over that period, DPH recorded 457 new cases in Bayview Hunters Point or 121 new cases per 10,000 residents. SOMA remains the only other neighborhood with new case rates above 100 per 10,000 residents and only 4 other neighborhoods (Chinatown, Treasure Island, Tenderloin and Western Addition) have rates over 80 per 10,000 residents.

On October 14, the 7-day average of daily new cases in the City was 53, or approximately 6.1 new cases per day per 100,000 residents (based on an 874,000 population). The 7-day average case rate among vaccinated residents was 5.2per 100,000 fully vaccinated residents and for unvaccinated residents 9.5 per unvaccinated 100,000 residents.

So far in October, White San Franciscans had 365 recorded infections, or 38.5 percent of October cases; Asians 230 or 24.3 percent, Latinxs 158 or 16.7 percent, Blacks 63 or 6.7 percent, Multi-racials 20 or 2.1 percent, Pacific Islanders 9 or 1 percent and Native Americans had 0 recorded infections or 0 percent of the months cases.

So far in October, Pacific Islanders have a 2.6 percent positivity rate, Latinxs 1.8 percent, Whites 1.6 percent, Blacks 1.6 percent, Multi-racials 1.5 percent, and Asians 1.3 percent. Note: Above, DPH reported 0 October cases among Native Americans. Here DPH reports 14 October cases among Native Americans with a positivity rate of 4.7 percent.

Covid-related deaths in San Francisco have always been among the most ambiguous numbers. Its even worse now as the City no longer provides a definition of what constitutes a covid (or covid-related) death. Four new deaths have been recorded in October bringing the Delta total so far (August October) to 74 and the cumulative covid-related death toll to 650. September and October numbers should be considered less reliable meaning updates are likely. For over a month, DPH has temporarily paused reporting the vaccination status of covid-related deaths.

Covid R Estimation lowered its San Francisco R Number to .90 and revised its estimate for the California R number up to .99. The ensemble raised its average for the San Francisco R number to 77 and its California R Number average to .87. No model in the ensemble currently estimates San Francisco transmissibility above .9.

So far in October, San Franciscans 0-4 years of age have recorded 26 new cases for 2.7 percent of new cases this month; 5-10: 61 new cases, 6.4 percent, 11-13: 20 new cases, 2.1 percent, 14-17: 17 new cases, 1.8 percent, 18-20:10 new cases, 1.1 percent, 21-24: 52 new cases, 5.5 percent, 24-29: 134 new cases 14.1 percent, 30-39: 229 new cases, 24.2 percent, 40-49: 123 new cases, 13 percent, 50-59: 127 new cases, 13.4 percent, 60-69: 86 new cases, 9.1 percent, 70-79: 44 new cases, 4.6 percent, 80 +: 18 new cases 1.9 percent.

Read more:

Covid-19 Tracker: Whats in a number? - Mission Local

The statement notes that the Pennsylvania Republican began experiencing "cold-like symptoms and was promptly tested for COVID-19" on Friday afternoon, and that he is vaccinated.

"He is in good spirits and further updates will be made available in the coming days," the statement on Thompson's Twitter said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN's Shawna Mizelle contributed to this report.

The rest is here:

US Rep. Glenn Thompson tests positive for Covid-19 and is being treated at Walter Reed hospital - CNN

by: Nancy R. Buchan University of South Carolina, AP The Conversation

(THE CONVERSATION) TheResearch Briefis a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

People who got COVID-19 or were directly affected by the disease, either by losing loved ones or having close friends or relatives become infected by the coronavirus, are more likely to give to a charity to support pandemic relief.

That was one of the main findings froman online studyweconductedin May 2020with932 adults living in the United States and replicated in June of that year with 723 adults who reside in Italy. Three other researchers worked on this experiment with us:Adriana C. Pinate,Giulia Ursoand Marilynn B. Brewer.

Our team told participants they would be paid US$3 to take a survey regarding their experiences and decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterwards, we gave them a $5 bonus and asked if they wanted to donate some or all of the bonus money to charities supporting COVID-19 relief in their state or region, their own country or around the world. Italians got the equivalent in euros for the base payment and bonus. We told participants we would match any amount donated.

We found that people in the U.S. who were more directly affected by COVID-19 pandemic were 9% more likely to donate than others. They also donated 9.2% more money. The results were similar in Italy.

About 63% of the U.S. and 77% of the Italian participants gave away at least some of this unexpected money. Overall, people taking part in the study gave away 35% of their bonus and kept 65% for themselves. Nearly 20% gave away their entire bonus.

It also turned out that people in both countries were more likely to select a charity in their own state or region, rather than a national or global one. This reflects something prior research has found: People prefer to support their own communities when they make charitable donations,particularly during pandemics.

Interestingly, those who selected a global charity gave more money.

Our findings also suggest that having COVID-19 or seeing its toll up close through friends and loved ones makes the reality of the pandemic more certain and the need for charity more obvious.

Why it matters

U.S. charitable giving rose 3.8% to a record $471 billionin 2020. Andmost Americans found ways to express generosityduring the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether by donating, volunteering, going out of their way to keep local businesses afloat or other means.

That growth in support reflects acommon refrainduring theCOVID-19 pandemic: Were all in this together. We wanted to learn what that catch phrase actually means. That is, who do people mean by we? Whom do they want to help?

We also wanted tosee if that sentiment would affect altruism: the tendency to act selflessly to help others.

[Research into coronavirus and other news from scienceSubscribe to The Conversations new science newsletter.]

In meeting any global challenge, its worth considering evidence that people tend to be most interested in causes that directly affect their own interests or help their local communities even when crises are worldwide in nature.

We believe our findings may point to one reason why it has provenhard for governments to work togetherin the fight against COVID-19.

What other research is being done

Other scholars are also studying the degree to which people are expressing altruism in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their findings suggest that older people in several countries seem to be more altruistic than others in response to the pandemic, but also that older people also aremore likely to give to charities closer to them. Additional research shows that people who experiencefeelings that they could die from COVID-19 are more altruistic.

Whats next

We also collected data about how political affiliation may affect charitable giving. We will relay those findings in another study.

Continue reading here:

Having COVID-19 or being close to others who get it may make you more charitable - KRQE News 13

LIHUE Friday, the state Department of Health Kauai District Health Office reported 17 new cases of COVID-19, which include 16 residents and one visitor. Of the 17 new cases, three are children and 14 are adults.

Seven of the cases are related to travel, including two mainland and five interisland. The remaining 10 cases are considered community-acquired. Five of the community-acquired infections are close contacts of a previously announced case or are tied to an active cluster. The remaining five cases have no known source of infection.

Cases have jumped up in the last two days. The increase is likely related to fall-break travel, Kauai District Health Officer Dr. Janet Berreman said in a press release.

If you traveled recently, please get tested. If you test positive or if youre feeling sick, please isolate at home to avoid spreading disease to others. And if you havent been vaccinated, please do so.

Fridays cases bring the number of active cases to 63, with two hospitalized. To date, the county has seen 2,596 cumulative cases.

Link:

KDHO: 17 new COVID-19 cases Oct. 22 - The Garden Island

AUSTIN (KXAN) Austin Public Health says it will monitor and track COVID-19 cases following the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix race weekend at Circuit of the Americas.

Austin health officials did the same after the two weekends of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Earlier this week, APH said a total of 36 COVID-19 cases so far were linked to ACL.

With over 360,000 people expected to be at COTA over the three-day weekend, the track is operating at full capacity with some COVID-19 protocols. The race is a sell-out with an estimated 140,000 people around the track for Sundays race.

If youre planning to be at one of COTAs indoor facilities, the Tower Club, Club SI, Circuit Suite and the Chairmans Suite, proof of a negative COVID-19 test is required. The test must be from Wednesday at the earliest to receive a wristband.

Rapid and PCR tests will be accepted. Masks are recommended indoors.

The Austin-Travis County area hit the threshold for Stage 2 COVID-19 risk-based guidelines Friday. Though, the local health authority hasnt officially announced a move from Stage 3 down to Stage 2 after the 7-day moving average of hospital admissions fell within the threshold Friday.

The metric APH largely uses to determine which COVID-19 risk-based guidelines we fall under is the7-day moving average of new hospital admissions. The threshold for Stage 2 guidelines is anything under 15 and above 5. We hit 14 Friday. Anything below 5 would be in the threshold for Stage 1, the least restrictive tier.

Originally posted here:

Formula 1 Austin: What to know about COVID-19 protocols at US Grand Prix - KXAN.com

LONDONThe U.K., in an experiment watched by the world, lifted most Covid-19 restrictions in the summer, wagering that immunity from vaccinations and prior infections would keep the virus at bay.

Three months later, the British experience shows that, in the face of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, herd immunity is elusive. Covid-19 cases and deaths have risen in recent weeks as winter has begun to close in. The bottom line: Reliance on immunity, which is imperfect to begin with and wanes over time, doesnt guarantee a quick victory over Delta.

Read more:

Covid-19 Herd Immunity Proves Elusive in U.K. - The Wall Street Journal

Avoid this frustrating COVID-19 testing mistake while traveling in the UK

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Avoid this frustrating COVID-19 testing mistake while traveling in the UK - The Points Guy

There is a growing sense of optimism across the country, with national coronavirus infection rates steadily falling, booster shots available for many Americans and pending vaccine approval on the horizon for young children.

In southern states like Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia, which were hit early on by the delta surge, hospitalizations are on the decline.

But despite the good news, experts are pleading with Americans to remain alert, as the highly infectious delta variant continues to circulate.

Despite vaccination rollouts, several states, particularly those in colder climates, are beginning to see a rise in infections.

"You're starting to see an uptick in cases in the colder parts of the country and as people are driven indoors without masks on," former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNN earlier this month. "The delta wave has not run through the United States... I think we have a couple of months to go."

Experts have been warning for weeks that colder areas may see an uptick in cases this winter.

"We may be starting to see the delta surge in the northern parts of the country that were relatively spared over the summer," said John Brownstein, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor.

In recently released forecasts, the PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reported that infection rates in parts of the Midwest and Mountain states remained "stubbornly high," and that despite declining transmission in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and in California, a period of resurgence may be on the horizon for northern regions of the country.

A healthcare worker administers a Covid-19 test at a testing site in Mifflin Square Park in Philadelphia, Aug. 12, 2021.

"We can take some comfort this week in the fact that national daily case counts have dropped below 100,000 and national adult and pediatric hospital censuses have declined by 50% since late summer," the group wrote, adding that the country must still be prepared to see a resurgence.

In the Midwest, many counties throughout Minnesota and Michigan have had a significant rise in cases, while other states (Delaware, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming) are reporting high transmission in nearly every county, according to federal data.

"Coronaviruses tend to thrive in winter months and colder weather," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said. "Right now is not the time, as cases are coming down to become complacent because we do know colder weather is ahead of us."

These local increases in cases are being accompanied by an uptick in hospitalizations. Ten states (Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wyoming) are already seeing a higher number of hospital admissions.

In Montana, forecasters noted that cities are experiencing the highest rates of case incidence and hospitalizations they have seen throughout the pandemic, mirroring what happened in Idaho last month. Similarly, in Utah, the outlook continues to worsen, specifically in the Salt Lake City region, as resurgence spreads to a wider geographic area.

According to the PolicyLab, the regional variation across the country makes predicting the trajectory of this period of the pandemic challenging. While the team wrote that the likelihood of a fall and winter resurgence in northern areas "seems more probable," there is "uncertainty about the magnitude, duration and breadth of geographic regions that will be impacted."

"We need to expect that, as we enter a season of shorter, colder days that will push more people to gather indoors, we will soon see a widening geographic distribution of resurgent transmission in many locations," forecasters wrote.

The group noted that the Northeast did not experience a significant surge last year, until the holiday season in November and December, and added that nationally, case incidence increased rapidly just after Halloween last year, surging through the New Year.

"As winter approaches, indoor mixing, especially among the remaining unvaccinated populations, means that we will likely continue to see increases in cases. The biggest remaining question is whether we have vaccinated enough of the population to see a decoupling with hospitalizations and deaths," added Brownstein.

People who have not been fully vaccinated are 6.1 times more likely to test positive with the virus and 11.3 times more likely to die from it, compared with people who are vaccinated, according to federal data.

Although nearly two-thirds of Americans have now received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, more than 112 million Americans remain completely unvaccinated. Approximately 64 million of those unvaccinated Americans are people over the age of 12, and thus, are currently eligible to get the shot.

PolicyLab experts say it is therefore critical for communities to act now in order to "maximize vaccinations among children and adults so that we can prevent local surges in all regions this winter and finally move toward the waning days of the pandemic."

Read the rest here:

Northern states see uptick in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations as weather gets colder - ABC News

Biden touts COVID progress, pushes vaccinations

President Joe Biden touted the progress his administration has made in battling COVID-19 Thursday, as he encouraged the approximately 66 million unvaccinated Americans to get a shot. (Oct. 14)

AP

Many people have caught COVID-19 over the past 20 months, despite their best efforts,or because they didn't take enough precautions against the coronavirus.

Data is just starting to emerge about how protected they may be against another infection.

As with most illnesses, contracting COVID-19 provides immune "memory" that helps protect against a future infection. But it's still unclearhow sick a person has to get with COVID-19 to develop enough immune memory to be protective and for how long. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends even peoplewho havehad COVID-19 get vaccinated against it.

A growing body of research suggests infection plus vaccination provides the strongest protection against a wide range of variants, possibly for a long time.

People who were infected and then vaccinated some months laterhave "what's called 'hybrid immunity,' which is like super-immunity," said Warner Greene, a virologist at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco.

This combined protection seems to last a long time, according to a new study in the journal Science. It may last far longer than vaccination alone, he said, though that hasn't been proven yet.

Greene warns against seeking outinfection to get such good protection, though. Severe disease is no fun and can strike anyone.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Monica Gandhisaid public health officials too often downplay the protection provided byinfection.

"To deny natural immunity does not generate trust," said Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Franciscoand San Francisco General Hospital.

Getting vaccinated three months or even better, six months after infection provides the best possible protection, she said. But adding a secondshot offers almost no additional benefit over the first, nor do peoplewho havebeen fully vaccinated and infected need a booster at this point.

"If you're naturally immune, get one dose," Gandhi said.

In a new study from the Rockefeller Institute in New York, researchers found that people who get vaccinated after catching COVID-19 may be protectedagainst a wider range of variants than people who get vaccinated alone.

Still, saidTheodora Hatziioannou, an author on the study, if you have to pick one, go with vaccination.

Shots, she said, lead to higher levels of neutralizing antibodies, naturally made substances that fight an infection. Neutralizing antibodies wane with time, so the more you start out with, the better.

"At five-six months post-vaccination or infection," she said, "the vaccinated participants had overall higher levels of neutralizing antibodies than the infected, including against variants."

There are still open questions when it comes to natural immunity and the protection it affords.

It's not clear, for instance, how soon someone can get infected with COVID-19 a second time.

The CDC"is actively working to learn more about reinfection to inform public health action," according to spokesperson Kristen Nordlund."This is a priority area of research for CDC."

For young, healthy people, an infection may provide80% to 90% protection against a reinfection, she said.But in older adults and thosewho are immunocompromised, an infection may be less protective.

In Denmark, for instance, of nearly 12,000 people who tested positive during the first wave of coronavirus infections last year, more than 80% were protected in the second surge. But among those 65 and older, protection against repeat infection was only 47%. Protection didn't seem to fade over time.

Milder or asymptomatic infections may provide less protection than severe ones.

Unvaccinated people who had COVID-19 are more than twice as likely as fully vaccinated people to get COVID-19 again, Nordlund said.

Studies are still being done, she said, to better understand whether repeat infections are milder than initial ones.

"One would expect so,"Hatziioannou said. "The immune responses developed during the first infection should offer some protection against severe symptoms the second time around."

But variants might make a difference. For example, she said, blood from people previously infected with the so-called beta coronavirus variant might not be able to fight the delta variant as well as people infected with the virus in its original form.

Jeffrey Shaman, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, said it's frustrating to be this far into the pandemic and still have so little understanding of repeat infections.

Though it should be relatively easy to count how many people get infected after vaccination data the CDC stopped collecting this spring it's much more challenging to learn how many people are getting repeat COVID-19 infections.

If they're not very sick, he said, they are unlikely to report those infections.

Early studies suggested some people were developing different types of immune responses to infection, he said. Some developed protection against the virus' spike protein, the same target of vaccines. They seemed less likely to develop a repeat infection.

But it's possible that as the virus that causes COVID-19 continues to evolve, another variant will come along and people whose immune systems responded to a different part of the virus will be better protected, he said.

Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said he worries about patients who had a severe reaction to COVID-19 the first time.

He hasseen a number of patients whose symptoms are worse with a second infection, perhaps because they haveimmune cells that are "primed to respond in an exaggerated or more aggressive fashion during a reinfection."

Countries that have tried to rely on natural infections to slow the spread of the virus, such as Brazil and Iran,"have not prevented recurrent waves of infection," Glatter said.

"There is no country in the world where natural infection and natural immunity has slowed the pace of the pandemic or helped to bring it under control."

ContactKaren Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

The rest is here:

Natural immunity is good. Getting vaccinated after being sick with COVID-19 is better. - USA TODAY

Kyndal Nipper, who hails from outside Columbus, Georgia, had only a brief bout with COVID-19 but a more tragic outcome. She was weeks away from giving birth in July when she lost her baby, a boy she and her husband planned to name Jack.

Now Harrison and Nipper are sharing their stories in an attempt to persuade pregnant women to get COVID-19 vaccinations to protect themselves and their babies. Their warnings come amid a sharp increase in the number of severely ill pregnant women that led to 22 pregnant women dying from COVID in August, a one-month record.

We made a commitment that we would do anything in our power to educate and advocate for our boy, because no other family should have to go through this, Kipper said of herself and her husband.

Harrison said she will nicely argue to the bitter end that pregnant women get vaccinated because it could literally save your life.

Since the pandemic began, health officials have reported more than 125,000 cases and at least 161 deaths of pregnant women from COVID-19 in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And over the past several months, hospitals and doctors in virus hot spots have reported a sharp increase in the number of severely ill pregnant women.

With just 31% of pregnant women nationwide vaccinated, the CDC issued an urgent advisory on Sept. 29 recommending that they get the shots. The agency cautioned that COVID-19 in pregnancy can cause preterm birth and other adverse outcomes, and that stillbirths have been reported.

Dr. Akila Subramaniam, an assistant professor in the maternal-fetal medicine division of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the hospital saw a marked rise in the number of critically ill pregnant women during July and August. She said a study there found the delta variant of COVID-19 is associated with increased rates of severe disease in pregnant women and increased rates of preterm birth.

Is it because the delta variant is just more infectious or is it because delta is more severe? I dont think we know the answer to that, Subramaniam said.

When COVID-19 vaccines became available to pregnant women in their states this spring, both Harrison, 36, and Nipper, 29, decided to wait. The shots didn't have final approval from the Food and Drug Administration and pregnant women werent included in studies that led to emergency authorization, so initial guidance stopped short of fully recommending vaccination for them. Pfizer shots received formal approval in August.

The women live on opposite sides of the Alabama-Georgia line, an area that was hit hard by the delta variant this summer.

While Harrison had to be put on life support, Nippers symptoms were more subtle. When she was eight months pregnant, she lost her sense of smell and developed a fever. The symptoms went away quickly, but Jack didnt seem to be kicking as much as he had been. She tried drinking a caffeinated beverage: Nothing. She headed to the hospital in Columbus, Georgia, for fetal monitoring where medical staff delivered the news: Baby Jack was gone.

He was supposed to come into the world in three weeks or less, Nipper said. And for them to tell you theres no heartbeat and there is no movement ...

Nippers doctor, Timothy Villegas, said testing showed the placenta itself was infected with the virus and displayed patterns of inflammation similar to the lungs of people who died of COVID-19.

The infection likely caused the babys death by affecting its ability to get oxygen and nutrients, Villegas said. The doctor said he has since learned of similar cases from other physicians.

Were at that point where everybody is starting to raise some red flags, he said.

In west Alabama, Dr. Cheree Melton, a family medicine physician who specializes in obstetrics and teaches at the University of Alabama, said she and her colleagues have had about a half-dozen unvaccinated patients infected with COVID-19 lose unborn children to either miscarriages or stillbirth, a problem that worsened with deltas spread.

Its absolutely heartbreaking to tell a mom that she will never get to hold her living child, she said. We have had to do that very often, more so than I remember doing over the last couple of years.

Melton said she encourages every unvaccinated pregnant woman she treats to get the shots, but that many havent. She said rumors and misinformation have been a problem.

I get everything from, Well, somebody told me that it may cause me to be infertile in the future to, It may harm my baby, she said.

Nipper said she wishes she had asked more questions about the vaccine. Looking back, I know I did everything that I could have possibly done to give him a healthy life, she said. "The only thing I didnt do, and Ill have to carry with me, is I didnt get the vaccine."

Now home from the hospital with a healthy baby, Harrison says she feels profound gratitude tempered with survivors guilt.

I cry all the time. Just little things. Feeding her or hugging my 4-year-old. Just the thought of them having to go through life without me and thats a lot of peoples reality right now, Harrison said. It was very scary and it all could have been prevented if I had gotten a vaccination.

See original here:

COVID-19 and pregnancy: Women regret not getting the vaccine - The Boston Globe