Tag: Children

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Politics

Democrats Quieter About Migrant Kids Detention

Democrats Quieter About Migrant Children Detention

“The good news is that they listened,” Representative Sylvia R. Garcia, Democrat of Texas, said of officials at Health and Human Services. Ms. Garcia, a former social worker, said she saw red flags at the Houston shelter, a repurposed warehouse, before it even opened. The plan was to house about 500 girls between the ages of 13 and 17. Ms. Garcia said the facility did not have enough bathrooms and there was no clear space for the children to eat or for recreation.

“They were concerned about the kids. They were concerned about their care — every single one of them,” Ms. Garcia said of the officials she spoke with. The shelter opened on April 1 and closed on April 17. “They were not going to put children at risk.”

Ms. Escobar, whose district includes the largest emergency shelter in the Health and Human Services network, at Fort Bliss, said she raised concerns about conditions early on. And on a visit there on Friday, she said she saw significant improvements over six weeks ago.

But, she said, “there are still things that are not acceptable to me.”

For one, the staff could not answer some of Ms. Escobar’s questions, such as how long children were staying there. She said children told her they had been there for 48 days. “That’s unacceptable,” she said.

Ms. Escobar also said the shelter was too big and should be broken into multiple shelters on the Fort Bliss campus. She said she raised this concern about “mega-sites” with Xavier Becerra, the secretary of health and human services, on a recent call with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Mr. Castro said he shared Ms. Escobar’s concerns, though he dismissed worries about the size of the shelter and said, during a call with reporters on Monday, there had to be a plan for how to house these children when they arrive at the border.

He also said that the conditions at the emergency facilities were not only better than those at the border facilities, “but it’s better than what these kids were experiencing before they were in the hands” of border agents.

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Health

Small Examine Seems at Kids With Covid Inflammatory Syndrome

Children With Covid Inflammatory Syndrome May Overcome Their Most Serious Symptoms

Dr. Newburger, who was not involved in the UK report, called it a “small but important study” that “adds new information to the knowledge gap about the long-term effects of MIS-C”.

They and the authors themselves noted that the results were limited because the children in the study were not compared with a control group of children without MIS-C or those with other diseases. For example, it is unclear whether her emotional problems and muscle weakness were the result of the syndrome, the process of being hospitalized for an illness, or other stressors during that time. “Mental health and physical condition affected children and adolescents in general during the pandemic,” said Dr. Newburger.

Dr. Srinivas Murthy, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia who was not involved in the new study, said it may be difficult to figure out which residual problems were directly due to the syndrome and which could result from critical illness. He said the fact that some of the children still had problems with muscle weakness and stamina could bring important lessons as such problems may require different types of care, including “post-hospital rehabilitation options.”

Dr. Penner said the Great Ormond Street Hospital team had made changes to the way they treat children hospitalized with the syndrome since the fall because they recognized “how badly their muscles are initially affected and how much they are tired and these children are weakened. “

In the hospital, for example, “it is extremely difficult for these children to just go from bed to the bathroom,” he said.

The hospital is now more focused on providing hospitalized physiotherapy and working with musculoskeletal therapists to the children, sending them home with a customized rehabilitation plan linked to an app.

“We also involved our occupational therapists and developed a once-a-month fatigue program where parents dial in for a group session,” said Dr. Jerk. “I think the main message we are giving them is to avoid this boom-and-bust cycle where the kids try to do the things they used to do at full speed and then kind of crash afterwards – as opposed to a gradual increase in activity back to its normal state. “

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Health

Kids With Covid Inflammatory Syndrome Might Overcome Their Most Critical Signs

Children With Covid Inflammatory Syndrome May Overcome Their Most Serious Symptoms

Dr. Newburger, who was not involved in the UK report, called it a “small but important study” that “adds new information to the knowledge gap about the long-term effects of MIS-C”.

They and the authors themselves noted that the results were limited because the children in the study were not compared with a control group of children without MIS-C or those with other diseases. For example, it is unclear whether her emotional problems and muscle weakness were the result of the syndrome, the process of being hospitalized for an illness, or other stressors during that time. “Mental health and physical condition affected children and adolescents in general during the pandemic,” said Dr. Newburger.

Dr. Srinivas Murthy, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia who was not involved in the new study, said it may be difficult to figure out which residual problems were directly due to the syndrome and which could result from critical illness. He said the fact that some of the children still had problems with muscle weakness and stamina could bring important lessons as such problems may require different types of care, including “post-hospital rehabilitation options.”

Dr. Penner said the Great Ormond Street Hospital team had made changes to the way they treat children hospitalized with the syndrome since the fall because they recognized “how badly their muscles are initially affected and how much they are tired and these children are weakened. “

In the hospital, for example, “it is extremely difficult for these children to just go from bed to the bathroom,” he said.

The hospital is now more focused on providing hospitalized physiotherapy and working with musculoskeletal therapists to the children, sending them home with a customized rehabilitation plan linked to an app.

“We also involved our occupational therapists and developed a once-a-month fatigue program where parents dial in for a group session,” said Dr. Jerk. “I think the main message we are giving them is to avoid this boom-and-bust cycle where the kids try to do the things they used to do at full speed and then kind of crash afterwards – as opposed to a gradual increase in activity back to its normal state. “

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Health

What Actions Can Unvaccinated Youngsters Do? Recommendation From 828 Specialists.

What Activities Can Unvaccinated Children Do? Advice From 828 Experts.

As a group, however, the interviewed experts were unable to vaccinate children. Many cited the risk of long-term physical and neurological effects from Covid-19, which are still unknown in children. And they were concerned about new variants of the virus that could become more dangerous for children.

“We’re still learning about the long-term effects of Covid-19 in asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic, previously healthy individuals,” said Ms. Ergas of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “I’m not panic about my kids getting Covid, but I’d rather they not.”

Others were more concerned. “I suspect that some of the children with Covid-19 infection will continue to have inflammation-related problems,” said Dr. Jessica Ericson, an infectious disease pediatrician at Penn State College of Medicine. “The long-term consequences of Covid-19 are currently unknown, but it is unlikely to be zero. This is in contrast to vaccination, which has no plausible long-term effects. “

In addition to the health of children, pediatric vaccines are necessary for the common good. The pandemic in the United States is unlikely to end until children are vaccinated, they said. Although children are less likely than adults to spread the coronavirus, it will mutate as long as the virus can replicate, regardless of whether the carriers are symptomatic adults or asymptomatic children. Even if Americans achieve widespread immunity, the virus will continue to spread and mutate in parts of the world without equal access to vaccines.

“It’s a big, altruistic demand that children under the age of 12 be vaccinated in large numbers,” said Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist at the University of California at Irvine. “The vast majority of cases will not be sick. It is not to their advantage; It’s supposed to prevent them from passing it on to others. “

Dr. Andrew Handel, an infectious disease pediatrician at Stony Brook Medicine, said: “Once approved, I will be excited to vaccinate my children. These vaccines are the best solution to the tremendous harm this disease is causing. “

While the experts continued to exercise caution until a pediatric vaccine arrived, they also stressed parents need to weigh the risks of prolonged social isolation. Overall, experts were slightly more concerned about the psychological consequences of the pandemic for children than about its impact on their physical health.

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Health

C.D.C. Advisers Endorse Pfizer Vaccine for Youngsters Ages 12 to 15

C.D.C. Advisers Endorse Pfizer Vaccine for Children Ages 12 to 15

The federal government took one final step on Wednesday to bring Pfizer BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to teenagers in the United States, remove an obstacle to school reopening, and cheer millions of families tired of pandemic restrictions are.

An advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted The CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky is expected to review the recommendations and approve them later on Wednesday.

“Getting Covid-19 vaccines approved for children ages 12-15 is an important step in removing barriers to vaccinating children of all ages,” said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, who represents the American Academy of Pediatrics on the Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Many parents eagerly await the availability of vaccines for children, at least in part to expedite their return to school. About a third of eighth graders, usually 13 or 14 years old, still study completely remotely.

In some states, such as Maine, vaccination of teenagers has already started. Others plan to offer the vaccine as early as Thursday. There are nearly 17 million 12 to 15 year olds in the United States, which is 5.3 percent of the population.

Almost every state now has a flood of vaccine doses that could be quickly distributed to teenagers. The dose used to immunize adults is safe and effective for these adolescents too, as clinical studies have shown.

“Sometimes we lose the importance of children and adolescents in the midst of a pandemic – especially older adults are so much in focus,” said Dr. Grace Lee, Committee member and Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University.

While the risk of serious illness in children is low compared to adults, the coronavirus has infected more than 1.5 million children and sent more than 13,000 to hospitals, according to the CDC, more than were hospitalized for flu in an average year

“It is currently one of the top ten causes of child death since the pandemic began,” noted Dr. Maldonado.

Young children are believed to be less likely to spread the virus than adults, but their ability to transmit it increases with age. Teenagers, especially in high school, can spread the virus just as easily as adults. Children aged 12-17 make up an increasing proportion of Covid cases in the country.

Vaccinating children should increase immunity levels in the US population and help reduce the number of cases.

“Any person with Covid-19 is giving the virus an opportunity to spread, further mutate and further expose our communities,” said Dr. Bill Gruber, Senior Vice President at Pfizer. “The decisions of the health authorities this week bring us one step closer to protecting young people and achieving herd protection.”

Pfizer announced in March that the vaccine appears to be at least as effective in 12-15 year olds as it is in older teenagers and adults. Apart from a slight increase in the frequency of fever, the shots also appeared to have comparable, mostly negligible side effects.

The company plans to monitor study participants for two years after the second dose to assess the long-term safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.

Updated

May 12, 2021, 4:58 p.m. ET

The Food and Drug Administration reviewed the clinical data and on Monday approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in these children. This allowed parents and children to wait weeks for a faster return to normal.

“While it is true that children are generally spared serious illnesses, the fact that they could not be vaccinated has created significant disruptions in their lives that have real developmental ramifications,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “By vaccinating this age cohort, these children can get back to their normal lives.”

In a speech at the White House on Wednesday, President Biden pointed out the benefits of the Covid vaccine for children 12 and older and said it was “safe, effective, easy, quick and free”.

“Starting tomorrow, more than 15,000 pharmacies will be ready to vaccinate this age group,” said Biden, adding that pharmacies would make it easier for teenagers to get the first shot in one location and a second shot in another location if needed.

Some experts have raised ethical concerns about vaccinating children who are at low risk for the virus, although healthcare workers and older adults remain at risk in many countries.

“If just thinking as a parent, if I had teenagers, I would probably love to vaccinate my children,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Class disturbed

Updated May 5, 2021

The latest on how the pandemic is changing education.

But she added, “I am very concerned about a situation where the few countries in the world that had enough vaccines to protect their adults continue to hoard those vaccines for use in low-risk children.”

School reopenings have spiked across the country as parents, teachers, unions and school authorities worried about outbreaks. Research shows that children are largely spared serious illnesses and are not significant drivers of the spread of the coronavirus, as is the case with influenza.

“This misperception of risk will clearly divert vaccination priorities from the optimal strategic use of vaccines worldwide,” said Drs Adaliah.

The committee also recommended giving the Covid-19 vaccine along with other major vaccines that teenagers may have missed during the year. The agency had recommended waiting two weeks before and after immunization against Covid-19 before receiving other vaccines.

Parents’ reluctance can be the main hurdle. According to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 40 percent of parents of teenagers said that they would not vaccinate their children or would only vaccinate them if required by a school.

Some of these parents might change their minds as other children are safe to receive vaccines and resume personal schooling or return to team sports such as soccer and basketball that involve close contact, the researchers suggested.

Others can wait to meet school requirements. Public schools in all 50 states require certain vaccines, but officials may not be able to enforce compliance until the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has received full FDA approval.

The vaccine now has an emergency approval. Pfizer has applied for full approval from the FDA, but this process is expected to take several months. Even after approval, students can opt out based on medical reasons or religious beliefs.

State and local leaders must make special efforts to reach children in low-income families or in color communities. Black and Hispanic adults have one of the lowest vaccination rates: by May 3, only 25 percent of blacks and 27 percent of Hispanics had been vaccinated, compared with 39 percent of whites.

In order to make the vaccine available to these communities, transport and storage of the cans must be facilitated. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine can only be stored in standard refrigerators for five days. The companies plan to ship smaller packs for use in doctor’s offices and are developing a formulation that can be refrigerated for up to 10 weeks.

Pfizer and BioNTech plan to file applications for approval of the vaccine in children ages 2-11 in September.

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Health

FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine for Kids 12 to 15

FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine for Children 12 to 15

Vaccinating children is vital to boost population immunity and contain the spread of the coronavirus. Although children spread the virus less efficiently than adults, they make up about 23 percent of the population.

Experts have said the country is unlikely to reach “herd immunity” – the point where virus transmission essentially comes to a halt – but vaccinating children will be important to get as close as possible .

14-year-old Ty Dropic, one of the study participants, urged others his age to get vaccinated so they can build widespread immunity and protect themselves. He had no side effects, which led him to suspect that he was on the placebo. If this turns out to be the case, he plans to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

“I know it can be scary, but it really isn’t as bad as it seems,” he said. “If you get Covid it will be a lot worse than being stuck with a needle for two seconds.”

Ty’s three siblings, ages 8, 10, and 16, are also participating in vaccination trials for their age groups. Your mother, Dr. Amanda Dropic, a pediatrician in northern Kentucky, said most of the parents in her practice were eager to get their children vaccinated to help them regain some semblance of normalcy.

“The anxiety and depression that we see in children, the social delays, have been enormous,” she said.

Dr. Dropic said her children understood the risks and were willing to volunteer because they saw it as a civic duty. Every drug available today came about because “someone was ready to go first,” she added.

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Health

Dad and mom Are Reluctant to Get Their Kids Vaccinated for Covid-19, Ballot Exhibits

Parents Are Reluctant to Get Their Children Vaccinated for Covid-19, Poll Shows

The willingness of the American public to get a Covid vaccine is reaching a saturation point, according to a new national poll. This is yet another indication that achieving widespread immunity in the United States is becoming increasingly difficult.

Only 9 percent of respondents said they hadn’t received the shot yet, but they intended to, according to the poll published in the April issue of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Vaccine Monitor. And with federal approval of the Pfizer vaccine for teens 12-15 years old imminent, parents’ willingness to get their children vaccinated is also limited, the survey found.

Overall, just over half of respondents said they had received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is in line with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are in a new phase of vaccine demand,” said Mollyann Brodie, executive vice president of Kaiser’s Public Opinion and Survey Research Program. “There won’t be a single strategy to drive demand from all of the remaining people. There will have to be a lot of individually targeted efforts. The people who are still on the fence have logistical barriers, information needs and many do not yet know whether they are authorized. Any strategy could get a small number of people to get vaccinated, but all in all, it could be very important. “

As more scientists and public health experts conclude that the country is unlikely to reach the herd immunity threshold, the Biden government has stepped up efforts to reach those who still hesitate. On Tuesday, the government announced steps to encourage more pop-up and mobile vaccination clinics, and to distribute the recordings to general practitioners and pediatricians, as well as local pharmacies.

The survey also found that confidence in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had taken a significant blow after the 10-day hiatus, while authorities investigated rare cases of life-threatening blood clots in people who took it. While 69 percent of respondents said they had confidence in the safety of the vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, only 46 percent believed the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson was safe. Among adults who were not vaccinated, one in five said the news of the Johnson & Johnson shot had caused them to change their minds about a Covid-19 vaccine.

The poll found that some of the most prominent Republicans were making some progress. In this group, 55 percent said they had or intended to get a shot, up from 46 percent in March. The percentage who will “definitely not” receive the vaccine also drops from 29 percent in March to 20 percent.

The results were based on telephone surveys of a nationally representative sample of 2,097 adults from April 15 to 29.

The so-called “wait and see” group – people looking for more information before making a decision – was within 15 percent, constant from 17 percent in March. The proportion of people who said they were only vaccinated when required by employers or schools was 6 percent, compared with 7 percent in March.

The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be approved within a few days for children ages 12-15. Among parents surveyed, three in ten said they would vaccinate their children immediately, and 26 percent said they wanted to see how the vaccine works. These numbers largely reflected the zeal with which these parents themselves sought vaccination.

Updated

May 6, 2021, 9:42 a.m. ET

Similarly, 18 percent said they would only do this if a child’s school required it, and 23 percent said they would definitely not have their children vaccinated.

A consortium of universities that includes Harvard, Northeastern and Rutgers conducted online surveys during the pandemic and recently focused on parents. The group’s most recent poll, conducted in April and reaching 21,733 adults in 50 states, found that the gap between mothers and fathers when it comes to the vaccine for children had widened.

The resistance of fathers seems to be weakening somewhat and has fallen from 14 percent since February to 11 percent. But more than a quarter of mothers, the researchers say, still say they are “extremely unlikely” to vaccinate their children. Both sexes are more resistant to the vaccine in younger children than in teenagers. Other research shows that mothers tend to have more influence on the final decision than fathers.

Parents’ answers could change over time, experts say. Just as adults were far less hesitant last summer, when the vaccine was still a concept, parents who were interviewed a few weeks ago when the upcoming approval for children under 16 had not been fully discussed could possibly be more likely to point to a hypothetical situation than responding to a reality.

However, pediatricians and others who are believed to be trusted sources of information are already aware that there is still much work to be done to increase the confidence of vaccines in this newest cohort.

Dr. Sean O’Leary, a Denver pediatrician who is vice chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious diseases committee, predicted that just as adults had flooded Covid vaccine providers in the first few weeks of distribution, parents and pent-up teenagers would too pounce on it at the beginning.

Dr. However, O’Leary, who often speaks to pediatricians about how to motivate patients to accept vaccinations, fears the slowdown will inevitably occur. To convince reluctant parents, he said, “We need to have the vaccine available in as many places as possible.”

He added, “When parents and patients are in the pediatrician’s office and the doctor can say, ‘Hey, I have it,’ it can kick start saying, ‘Let’s go ahead and do this.” ”

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Entertainment

Sons of Sam: Who Had been “The Kids”?

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Based on the work of journalist Maury Terry, Netflix The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness looks beyond David Berkowitz to the gun killings that occurred in New York City from 1976 to 1977. According to the title, Terry’s theory was that there wasn’t just one son of Sam, but several. Ultimately, Terry believed that the so-called Sons of Sam could be traced back to a cult called The Children associated with the likes of Scientology and Charles Manson’s family. But how did this connection come about? Here’s what you need to know.

When Terry went to Berkowitz to check it out, he linked him up with John and Michael Carr, brothers who were literally the sons of a man named Sam. The journalist firmly believed these brothers were involved in the Sons of Sam murders and further investigated their previous connections. He found that the siblings were connected to the Church of Scientology in their past. A deep dive into Scientology revealed a branch of a group called The Process Church of Final Judgment. Robert and Mary Ann de Grimston studied as Scientology auditors and met in the 1960s at the L. Ron Hubbard Institute for Scientology in London. After their Scientology experience, the duo wanted something more extreme and started The Process, which initially looked at psychotherapy technology.

The de Grimstons went to Mexico when a devastating hurricane erupted in 1966. Believing that they should bring good and bad together, they turned to the end of the world to pave the way for a new way of life. The process church set up camps everywhere (including the United States) and participated in dark rituals of wearing black cloaks and sacrificing German shepherds. They were even linked to cult leader Charles Manson when they spread to California, and some believe that Manson learned everything he knew about The Process. in the The familyAuthor Ed Sanders initially suggested that Manson belong to a trial chapter, though he later withdrew that claim when the Church sued him.

The process church went underground in 1974 and began to split up into smaller groups. A cult called Children popped up north of New York City. The process church has since denied any connection with the Son of Sam case. Terry suspected, however, that Berkowitz may have played a role similar to that for the children that Manson played for the family. Both groups had bizarre family names and also incorporated occult practices into their rituals. In a letter to Terry, Berkowitz also admitted that he was part of a larger group that committed the Son of Sam murders. While many have been skeptical of Terry over the years, his extensive evidence, despite being marked by many rabbit holes, may convince you that Berkowitz wasn’t the only perpetrator of the terror that started in the 1970s.

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Health

Pfizer Will Search Approval to Give Covid Vaccine to Youngsters

Pfizer Will Seek Approval to Give Covid Vaccine to Children

Pfizer is expected to apply to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency clearance to administer its coronavirus vaccine to children ages 2-11 in September, the company told Wall Street analysts and reporters on Tuesday during its quarterly call for profits.

The company also plans to file for full approval of the vaccine this month for people ages 16 to 85. Clinical study data on the safety of his vaccine in pregnant women should be available by early August.

The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine will be given to adults as part of an emergency clearance the companies received in December. Obtaining full FDA approval would, among other things, enable the companies to commercialize the vaccine directly to consumers. The approval process is expected to take months.

“Full approval is a welcome indicator of the continued safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine,” said Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease epidemiologist at George Mason University, in an email. It could also “build further confidence in the importance of vaccination,” she said.

The Pfizer BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was the first to receive emergency approval in the United States. Emergency permits are temporary and can be revoked once a public health emergency has ended.

Full approval would allow the vaccine to stay in the market when the pandemic wears off. This can also make it easier for businesses, government agencies, schools, and other institutions to request a vaccination. For example, the University of California and California State University school systems have announced that after coronavirus vaccines are fully FDA approved, students, faculties, and staff will need to be vaccinated. The U.S. military, where many troops have turned down coronavirus vaccines, has said it wouldn’t make them mandatory as long as they only have an emergency permit.

The FDA is expected to issue emergency approval early next week to allow the vaccine to be used in children ages 12-15.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a news conference Tuesday that she does not want to be ahead of the FDA but that the government is preparing to “make this available to additional, younger populations.”

Dr. Popescu said the opportunity to allow children in the United States to use the vaccine was both exciting and frustrating. “We have key people around the world who cannot get vaccines and countries that may not have access for a year or more, so we need to add global access to this conversation,” she said.

As of Tuesday, more than 131 million doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine had been administered in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They make up just over half of all doses administered in the country to date.

Pfizer’s managing director, Dr. Albert Bourla said the company reached out to the FDA on Friday with new data to convince the agency that the vaccine can be stored at refrigerator temperatures and not frozen for up to four weeks. Currently the limit is five days. He said the company was working on an updated version of the vaccine that could potentially be refrigerated for up to 10 weeks and hoped to have supportive data for that by August.

Rebecca Robbins contributed to the coverage.

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Health

Vaccinated Moms Are Making an attempt to Give Kids Antibodies by way of Breast Milk

Vaccinated Mothers Are Trying to Give Children Antibodies via Breast Milk

In the first nine months of the pandemic, Unicef ​​estimates that around 116 million babies were born worldwide. This led researchers to scramble to answer a critical question: could the virus be transmitted through breast milk? Some people assumed it was possible. When several research groups tested the milk, they found no traces of viruses, only antibodies – suggesting that drinking the milk might protect babies from infection.

The next big question for breast milk researchers was whether the protective benefits of a Covid vaccine could similarly be transferred to babies. None of the vaccine studies included pregnant or breastfeeding women, so researchers had to find breastfeeding women who qualified for the first vaccine launch.

Through a Facebook group, Rebecca Powell, a breast milk immunologist at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai in Manhattan, found hundreds of doctors and nurses willing to share their breast milk on a regular basis. In her most recent study, which was not officially published, she analyzed the milk of six women who received the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and four women who received the Moderna vaccine 14 days after the women received their second shots had. She found a significant number of a specific antibody, called IgG, in all of them. Other researchers have found similar results.

“There is cause for concern,” said Dr. Kathryn Gray, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, has done similar studies. “We would assume that this could offer some level of protection.”

Updated

April 8, 2021, 11:48 a.m. ET

But how do we know exactly? One way of testing this – exposing these babies to the virus – is, of course, unethical. Instead, some researchers have tried to answer the question by studying the properties of the antibodies. Do they neutralize, which means they prevent the virus from infecting human cells?

In a draft small study, an Israeli researcher found that this was the case. “Breast milk has the ability to prevent the spread of viruses and block the virus’ ability to infect host cells that lead to disease,” wrote Yariv Wine, an applied immunologist at Tel Aviv University, in an email.

Research is too premature for vaccinated nursing mothers to pretend their babies can’t become infected, said Dr. Kirsi Jarvinen-Seppo, Senior Consultant Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, conducted similar studies. “There is no direct evidence that the Covid antibodies in breast milk are protecting the child – only evidence that suggests it might,” she said.