An entire population of adults has not been accounted for when it comes to administering COVID-19 vaccinations. Pregnant women, who are at higher risk of severe illness if they contract the virus, were excluded from vaccine clinical trials, and now there is debate and concern about whether or not they are safe for expecting mothers.
March of Dimes CEO Stacey Stewart said the exclusion of pregnant women in vaccine testing is an outdated process and a roadblock for the advancement of science.
"It's 2021, we need to take a more modern approach to how we advance science, especially as it relates to pregnant women [and] to newborn babies," Stewart told Cheddar. "At the March of Dimes, we've been a long advocate for newborn screening for all the things that would help us to make sure that moms and babies are protected,"
While the CDC and the World Health Organization both agree that patients should consult with a doctor to make the best decision for themselves and their baby, the impact of the vaccines, particularly the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccines that do not use the live version of the virus, on pregnancies is unknown. So far, both companies are monitoring women who became pregnant after getting vaccinated.
According to Stewart, the fact that the Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines do not "influence or alter the DNA" signals that they would be a safe option for pregnant women to consider.
"What we are saying at the March of Dimes is consult your health care practitioner," she said. "But by all means, know that as a pregnant woman you are at potentially higher risk of severe illness if you contract COVID-19, so we would certainly recommend that women give serious thought to receiving the vaccine when they're able to."
Last week, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said of the more than 10,000 pregnant women that have been vaccinated, no major incidents have been reported, which Stewart said is a good indicator of safety.
"If a woman is at high risk, is an essential worker, is at high risk of being in contact with someone that has COVID-19, is at high risk herself of severe illness because of comorbidities, please consider the vaccine because it could save your life. It could save the life of your baby as well," she noted.
Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company Blue Origin successfully held a fourth civilian launch into space on Thursday. Former NASA Astronaut, Leroy Chiao, joined Cheddar News to talk about the significance of this launch for the future of civilian launches and to discuss the issue of safety. "This is opening space up to more people, raising more awareness, which is good for the entire industry," Chiao said. He also discussed the nature of pricing the tickets for space tourism.
The most popular and most valuable cryptocurrency is also the least eco-friendly - data shows that Bitcoin mining generates the same amount of carbon emissions as the entire country of Thailand. According to nonprofit Fair Planet, 96 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions come from Bitcoin mining every year. Now, a consortium of climate activist groups is calling on the Bitcoin industry to cut its energy use by making changes to its software code. Michael Brune, former executive director of the Sierra Club, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A cannabis software startup is offering a first-of-its-kind perk for its employees - reimbursements for legal cannabis purchases. Jointly Better bills itself as an experience-based cannabis wellness tracker and product platform. In an attempt to attract top talent, the company will reimburse up to $150 a month for its workers' lawful cannabis purchases. David Kooi, co-founder and CEO of Jointly, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Mar 31, 2022, with updates on Biden's push for more COVID funding, a wave of storms hammering the South, Etsy sellers going on strike, and more.
President Joe Biden has gotten a second booster dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, and he used the occasion Wednesday to call on Congress to pass billions of dollars in additional funding to fight the pandemic.
Catching you up on what you need to know on March 30, 2022, with updates on what is happening in Kyiv, the FDA releases plans for a fourth dose of COVID vaccines, COVID subvariant BA.2 becomes dominant variant in the U.S., employees at Conde Nast form a union, and more.
A NASA astronaut is back on Earth after a yearlong, record-setting spaceflight. He caught a Russian ride from the International Space Station on Wednesday with two cosmonauts.
Blue Origin is gearing up for its first launch of the year, set for March 31st, but it's not the only one. NASA is also days away from making history with its first private mission to the International Space Station. Three amateur astronauts, who have each paid about $55 million for their seat, will reach the ISS and spend eight days at the off-earth outpost. Jim Cantrell, CEO and co-founder of Phantom Space, joins Cheddar News to discuss what the future of space tourism may look like.
