Daily Archives: February 7, 2024

Babies whose mothers receive a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy are at no greater risk of adverse events and may be at lower risk of severe complications during birth, new data suggests.

The study the largest to assess the impact of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy to date provides reassurance that maternal vaccination is safe for developing infants.

COVID-19 vaccination is strongly recommended during pregnancy because it reduces the risk of infection for mother and baby. Even so, concerns about potential adverse events have resulted in fewer pregnant women taking up the offer of vaccination compared to other individuals of the same age.

To investigate the impact of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy on developing infants, Mikael Norman, aprofessor of paediatrics and neonatology the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues turned to national registers in Norway and Sweden containing data from 98% of newborns conceived after COVID-19 vaccines became available.

Of the 196,470 infants included in the study, 52% of their mothers were not vaccinated against COVID-19, while the remaining 48% had received one or more doses of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine either the Pfizer/BioNtech or Moderna vaccine. The babies' health was followed for at least four weeks after they were born.

The study, published inJAMA, found that COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy was not associated with any increased risks in newborn infants. On the contrary,babies born to vaccinated individuals had half the risk of death of those whose mothers had not been vaccinated(0.9 vs. 1.8 deaths per 1,000 births). They were also at significantly lower risk of brain bleeds (1.7 vs. 3.2 per 1,000 births) and a type of brain damage caused by reduced oxygen supply to the brain before or shortly after birth (1.8 vs. 2.7 per 1,000 births). The incidence of other types of bleeding, blood clots or inflammation in various organ systems did not differ between the groups.

The researchers are unsure why babies born to mothers who received a COVID-19 vaccine were at lower risk of these complications, but they believe a direct vaccine effect is unlikely. "Previous studies have shown that the vaccine does not cross the placenta and that it cannot be found in umbilical cord blood," Norman said.

Although COVID-19 is no longer categorised as aPublic Health Emergency of International Concern, it remains a global health threat."COVID-19 is still present in society and is probably something we will have to deal with for a long time," said Norman. "It is therefore very important for the 100,000 women who become pregnant every year in Sweden, and the 130 million in the world, to know that vaccination with mRNA-vaccines against COVID-19 is safe for their babies.We found no increased risks, if anything, infants to vaccinated women had lower risks for some severe outcomes."

See the rest here:

New evidence confirms COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy is safe for babies - Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

The co-chairs of the Joint Audit Committee and the Evers administration are at odds over whether interest from federal COVID-19 funds should be deposited in the general fund.

The state collected more than $97 million in interest off the $3 billion in funds it received.

The Evers administration contends federal rules bar the interest earnings from going to the general fund because the state would no longer be able to meet tracking requirements for the money, and the Department of Administration is awaiting further guidance from the feds.

Meanwhile, Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, and Rep. Robert Wittke, R-Racine, cited a Legislative Audit Bureau report from December in arguing the money should be in the general fund.

The Joint Audit Committee that the two GOP lawmakers co-chair has a hearing today on the December audit in which they may discuss correspondence from DOA Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld on the topic, according to the hearing notice. If the interest is deposited in the general fund, it would give lawmakers a say in how it is spent. Dem Gov. Tony Evers has had sole authority to disburse federal COVID-19 dollars.

The December LAB report raised questions about the interest, which totaled $97.2 million through Nov. 30. The state was fronted $3 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds through the American Rescue Plan Act President Joe Biden signed in early 2021, and that money was invested in a short term pool for excess cash until it was needed for expenditures, according to LAB.

The agency contends the interest on the COVID-19 funds wasnt received from the federal government, and thus there are no restrictions on its use. Because of that, LAB argues the money should be deposited into the general fund.

Blumenfeld sent Wimberger and Wittke two letters last month after they asked for an explanation on why the administration hadnt deposited the interest into the general fund. She wrote in one that DOAs reading of state and federal law contradicts the LFB conclusion. Thus, the agency believes the interest qualifies as money received from the feds because the earnings were originally the property of the federal government and could only be used by the state after receiving permission from the federal government.

Blumenfeld added the administration is awaiting more guidance from the U.S. Treasury.

A DOA spokesperson told WisPolitics the administration hasnt spent the interest as it awaits additional guidance.

Read Blumenfelds letter.

See the LAB report, which discusses the interest on pages 13-14.

Read the co-chairs letter.

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Audit Committee co-chairs, Evers at odds over interest from COVID-19 funds - WisPolitics.com