skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Pregnant? Medical Experts Urge Getting COVID-19 Vaccine

play audio
Play

Tuesday, September 7, 2021   

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. -- Health professionals are concerned misinformation may be leading some people who are pregnant to choose not to get the COVID-vaccine, despite universal recommendations that they do so.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and other medical groups are all in agreement.

Dr. Jessica Branham, DO/OB-GYN at Appalachian Regional Healthcare, said she understands people may have anxiety around the safety of the vaccine. But she pointed out the research is strong that getting the shot can help ensure a healthy pregnancy, at a time when the uptick in COVID cases continues to strain Kentucky hospitals.

"We have tons and tons of good data showing that women who are pregnant, have received their COVID-19 vaccine, that they are not only doing well," Branham reported. "It is actually showing protective effects for the newborn baby as well."

Today, in a special legislative session, Gov. Andy Beshear and state lawmakers are considering extending the pandemic state of emergency until January.

They may also make decisions about the governor's authority to require masks in indoor settings, provide flexibility for school districts, and use American Rescue Plan funds to support testing and vaccine distribution.

Caitlin Bottoms, a resident of Anderson County, said she found out she was pregnant about a week before considering getting the shot earlier this year. Bottoms recalled she waited until the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released its recommendation in late July, then spoke with her doctor and immediately scheduled an appointment.

"I'm very glad I got vaccinated," Bottoms stated. "It's definitely a relief for the rest of my pregnancy, knowing that I'm protected, but that my baby will have some protection as well when they arrive in November."

Branham added research also shows women who receive COVID-19 mRNA vaccines generate an immune response against the coronavirus and pass protective antibodies on to their babies.

"And those babies are actually showing natural immunity to COVID, because the maternal antibodies are crossing the placenta," Branham explained.

Studies of breastfeeding women have also indicated those who are vaccinated against COVID while breastfeeding pass protective antibodies to the baby through their breast milk. Antibodies against other infectious diseases, like the flu and pertussis, have previously been found in nursing parents who were vaccinated against those diseases.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021