Pregnant Women and Newborns
The New York Times: ‘You’re Already Worried’: Navigating Coronavirus While Pregnant – NYT Parenting readers shared their experiences. (Blum, 3/12/20)
Romper: What To Know About Coronavirus, Pregnancy, Babies & Kids – We know to sing the ABC song while we help wash those little hands, and we totally understand that we’re not supposed to panic (or hoard surgical masks), but parenting through the coronavirus pandemic means dealing with uncertainty. (Hussar, 3/12/20)
The Huffington Post: I’m 8.5 Months Pregnant During The Coronavirus Pandemic, And It’s Scary – “I try to force the vision out of my head of laboring alone in a hospital room where visitors aren’t allowed, hoping a doctor is freed up in time to help me to deliver.” (Meade, 3/14/2020)
The New York Times: Protests, Coronavirus and a Baby on the Way – A New York Times journalist reflects on the experience of expecting a child while covering Hong Kong’s recent unrest. (Ives, 3/14/2020)
The New York Times: You’re Already Worried’: Navigating Coronavirus While Pregnant – In the fall of 2009, she contracted swine flu shortly after giving birth to her first child; she had a 104-degree fever the day she came home from the hospital. (Blum, 3/16/20)
Harvard Health Publishing: Pregnant and worried about the new coronavirus? – COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus, has rapidly spread globally. The World Health Organization recently labeled COVID-19 a pandemic. (Farid & Memon, 3/16/20)
New Scientist: Coronavirus: What we know so far about risks to pregnancy and babies – Pregnant people don’t seem to be at greater risk of experiencing severe covid-19, and the virus doesn’t seem to pass to fetuses, but there’s still a lot we don’t know. (Hamzelou, 3/16/20)
The Cut: Pregnant in a Pandemic – Though this is my first pregnancy, I thought I’d already absorbed all of the relevant Jewish customs, most of them unwritten. (Carmon, 3/18/20)
Kaiser Family Foundation: Novel Coronavirus “COVID-19”: Special Considerations for Pregnant Women – The risk for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with COVID-19 is largely unknown, but medical experts suspect symptoms of COVID-19 may be more severe in pregnant woman compared to non-pregnant women. (Carmon, 3/17/20)
The Wall Street Journal: The Anxiety of Being Pregnant During the Coronavirus Pandemic – Scientists scramble to understand the effects; ‘I don’t want to put any stress on the baby’. (Hernandez, 3/17/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus During Pregnancy: What You Need to Know – Is the risk for infection higher? Should you breast-feed? (Hernandez, 3/17/20)
People: Pregnant Women Seem Unlikely to Pass Coronavirus to Their Babies, Early Studies Show – Post-birth, however, health officials warn that infected moms should be cautious of close contact due to “respiratory droplets.” (Harmata & Pfeffer, 3/17/20)
Heathline: If You’re Pregnant, Here’s What to Know About the Coronavirus – Experts are still learning the best way for women who contract COVID-19 to give birth to minimize the risk of transmission. (Ries, 3/17/20)
Yahoo Lifestyle: What Pregnant & Breastfeeding People Need to Know About COVID-19 – As news of the novel coronavirus and illnesses related to COVID-19 spread across the United States, parents and soon-to-be parents are out to arm themselves with as much information as possible about the virus and how to keep themselves and their families healthy. (Speller, 3/17/20)
Today.com: Answers to your coronavirus questions: Can breastfeeding spread the virus? – As part of our special With You TODAY segment, NBC News medical correspondent Dr. John Torres and clinical psychologist Jamie Howard answer questions from viewers, such as: Is it OK for a grandparent to spend time with grandchildren? (Speller, 3/17/2
USA Today: Coronavirus’ risk to pregnant women, newborns seems limited: not enough data yet – Two days before her due date, with her coronavirus-related stress level growing alongside the big baby boy inside her, Trisha Jensen decided it was time to go to her West Jordan, Utah, hospital to be induced. (O’Donnell, 3/18/20)
Romper: Should Pregnant People Attend Prenatal Visits? & 4 Other Coronavirus Questions – She isn’t leaving her house, except when she’s supposed to enter doctor’s offices and hospitals, which are crowded with sick people who may have the novel coronavirus. (Braff, 3/18/20)
Vox: “The babies keep coming”: What the coronavirus pandemic means for people giving birth – From breastfeeding in masks to virtual doulas, Covid-19 is changing pregnancy and birth. (North, 3/19/20)
Huffington Post: Is It Safe To Breastfeed My Baby If I Have Coronavirus? – Here’s what moms should know about nursing, breast milk and COVID-19. (Borresen, 3/18/20)
The New York Time: I Did Not Plan to Be Pregnant in a Pandemic – An early lesson in uncertainties and parenthood. (March, 3/19/20)
The Atlantic: COVID-19 Is Upending Parents’ Birth Plans – A global pandemic adds several more layers of logistical and emotional overwhelm to the already overwhelming time of new parenthood. (Fetters, 3/19/20)
TIME: Can Coronavirus Affect Pregnancy or Newborns? Here’s What the Experts Say – More than 130 million women give birth around the world each year. During pregnancy, changes in the immune system make women generally more susceptible to respiratory infections. (Bennett, 3/20/20)
WAMU: COVID-19 Poses A Risk To D.C.’s Moms-To-Be. Here’s How They’re Dealing With The Pandemic. – When Kristin Richards started feeling a fever about two weeks ago, she called her doctor immediately. (Giangreco, 3/20/20)
Forbes: Pregnancy In The Time Of Coronavirus: What To Know And Ask – Being pregnant can induce all kinds of anxieties even in the best of times, and these are not the best of times. (Haelle, 3/20/20)
The Los Angeles Times: What if I get sick? Coronavirus adds new anxieties for pregnant women – But there I was — 17 weeks pregnant with my first child — with tears streaming down my face as I stood among a crowd of anxious shoppers in a Long Beach Target. (Fry, 3/20/20)
Insider: I’m nine months pregnant, and I’m bringing my baby into a world I no longer understand. I have to remain hopeful anyway. – As the world grapples with uncertainty and panic amid the coronavirus pandemic, Littlefield and her partner have been forced to give up their carefully thought out pre- and post-natal plans. (Littlefield, 3/20/20)
The Atlantic: When You’re Pregnant During a Pandemic – I’m a war correspondent, but nothing prepared me for navigating the joys and fears of pregnancy under lockdown. (Jones, 3/21/20)
NBC News: Pregnant women in hospitals can get excellent treatment but terrible care – We tend to make medical processes good and fast by standardizing much of what we do, which means they can strip patients of their individuality. (Karkowsky, 3/21/20)
KPBS: Pregnant And Worried About Coronavirus? How To Stay Safe And Make A Game Plan – Pregnancy can sometimes be an uncertain and stressful period in the best of circumstances. (Courage, 3/22/20)
Kids, Babies and Transmission
U.S. News & World Report: How Does the Coronavirus Affect Children and Infants? – Data shows that kids and infants seem to tolerate the virus better than other age groups. (Levine, 3/11/20)
Mic: Children’s resistance to coronavirus might help us understand how to stop it – As the novel coronavirus continues to sweep across the globe— in what the World Health Organization officially deemed a pandemic on Wednesday — one subset of the population has largely evaded harm: children. (Pandika, 3/11/20)
CALMatters: Quarantine grandma? California families scramble as coronavirus hits – Government policy is one thing, real life another. What happens if your germ-carrying preschoolers suddenly pose a lethal threat to their elderly grandparents? (Aguilera & Lin, 3/11/20)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus is mysteriously sparing kids and killing the elderly. Understanding why may help defeat the virus. – One of the few mercies of the spreading coronavirus is that it leaves young children virtually untouched — a mystery virologists say may hold vital clues as to how the virus works. (Wan & Achenbach, 3/10/20)
PBS Newshour: 4 questions on kids and coronavirus, answered by a public health expert – It is not clear whether children may be less susceptible to the virus, meaning that they are less likely to catch it, or if they just have milder symptoms than adults on average, and thus are less likely to be detected as cases. (Gordon, 3/13/2020)
PBS Newshour: 4 questions on kids and coronavirus, answered by a public health expert – It is not clear whether children may be less susceptible to the virus, meaning that they are less likely to catch it, or if they just have milder symptoms than adults on average, and thus are less likely to be detected as cases. (Gordon, 3/13/2020)
PBS Newshour: 4 questions on kids and coronavirus, answered by a public health expert – It is not clear whether children may be less susceptible to the virus, meaning that they are less likely to catch it, or if they just have milder symptoms than adults on average, and thus are less likely to be detected as cases. (Gordon, 3/13/2020)
CBS Los Angeles: Child Now Testing Negative For Coronavirus; Initial Test Believed False-Positive – A child who tested positive for coronavirus has since tested negative twice, officials from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles said. (Schimke & Meltzer, 3/16/20)
AAP News: COVID-19 less severe in children than adults: study – Cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among children in China have been less severe than those in adults, according to a new study. (Jenco, 3/16/20)
U.S. News & World Report: Babies Are Spared Severe COVID-19 Symptoms – Infants can become infected with the new coronavirus, but their bouts with COVID-19 appear to be milder than those of older folks and people with chronic health problems, experts say. (Thompson, 3/16/20)
The Washington Post: Coronavirus looks different in kids than in adults – Largest study to date suggests infants may be vulnerable to critical illness after all — and that children may play a ‘major role’ in spread of pathogen. (Cha, 3/17/20)
The New York Times: Children and Coronavirus: Research Finds Some Become Seriously Ill – A study of more than 2,000 children with the virus in China found that babies were especially vulnerable to developing severe infection. (Belluck, 3/18/20)
Futurism: Bad News: Yes, Some Kids Are Getting Seriously Sick From Coronavirus – While they remain in better numbers than adults, infants are particularly susceptible. (Kamer, 3/18/20)
Forbes: Coronavirus Infection Mild In Over Half Of Children, Infants At Slightly More Risk, Study Finds – Data from more than 2,000 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases in Chinese children continue to show that school-age children and teens have a lower risk of severe disease from the novel coronavirus, according to a study published in Pediatrics March 17. (Haelle, 3/18/20)
NBC: Most coronavirus cases in kids are mild, but some are at risk for worse, study confirms – “Just because it’s much more uncommon for children to get severe disease, these data show it is indeed possible,” an expert said of the study of more than 2,000 children in China. (Chuck, 3/18/20)
The Los Angeles Times: The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of an infant and a teenager – The first reports to document COVID-19 deaths in children make clear that those under 18 are neither immune from infection nor completely spared from becoming very sick. (Healy, 3/19/20)
Health.com: Are Coronavirus Symptoms Different in Children? Here’s What to Know – Though children won’t likely get seriously ill from COVID-19, the fact is that there are some kids who may get very sick.(Gillespie, 3/20/20)
Impact on The Census
Mic: Children’s resistance to coronavirus might help us understand how to stop it – As the novel coronavirus continues to sweep across the globe— in what the World Health Organization officially deemed a pandemic on Wednesday — one subset of the population has largely evaded harm: children. (Pandika, 3/11/20)
The Los Angeles Times: Op-Ed: How the coronavirus could endanger the 2020 census – First, the Census Bureau went without a director for over a year. Then the threat of a citizenship question being added to the census prompted fears of a depressed census count in immigrant communities. (Arana & Garcel, 3/13/2020)
The New York Times: How the Coronavirus Could Hurt the Accuracy of the 2020 Census – Many people were already hard to count or suspicious of participating in the census. The virus will amplify those problems. (Wines, 3/14/2020)
CALMatters: Coronavirus, citizenship and the census: California fears an undercount – A global pandemic is upending California’s 2020 census outreach efforts while community organizers report difficulty getting residents to set aside privacy concerns — and government distrust. The risk of an undercount could cost a congressional seat and billions in federal funding. (Castillo, 3/16/20)
NPR: Coronavirus Forces Bureau To Suspend Census Field Operations Until April 1 – The coronavirus pandemic is forcing the U.S. Census Bureau to temporarily suspend all field operations for the 2020 census for two weeks until April 1, the agency announced Wednesday in a statement on its website. (Wang, 3/18/20)
KQED: Coronavirus Adds Major Hurdle to California’s Census Efforts – Tasked with motivating people in her Sonoma County community to fill out their census forms, Angie Sanchez quickly realized that the standard outreach presentations and handouts she’d be given just wouldn’t cut it. (Castillo, 3/19/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Virus Outbreak Forces Census to Extend Head Count – Officials had previously suspended field work until April 1. (Overberg, 3/20/20)
Legislative Action
LAist: The House Passed A Coronavirus Relief Act. Here’s What It Could Do For You – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a relief bill late Friday night aimed at containing the widening effects of the coronavirus on the nation’s economy, public health and well-being. (3/14/2020)
Kaiser Family Foundation: Coronavirus Puts a Spotlight on Paid Leave Policies – As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health officials recommend that people who are sick should stay home and that employers should consider implementing a telecommuting program when possible. (Ranji & Long & Salganicoff, 3/14/2020)
The New York Times: Here’s What’s in Congress’s Emergency Coronavirus Bill – The package includes free coronavirus testing for all, but its two weeks of paid sick don’t apply to many workers. The Senate is expected to take up the measure early next week. (Cochrane & Tankersley, 3/14/2020)
The Los Angeles Times: Newsom orders more aid to California campuses shuttered by coronavirus, opting not to close schools statewide – California schools that close their doors due to the novel coronavirus outbreak will continue to receive funding under an executive order issued on Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, with a directive to direct more dollars toward remote learning opportunities and child care options during workday hours. (Willon & Myers, 3/13/2020)
EdSource: California schools, child care centers to get $100 million to disinfect for coronavirus – The Legislature hurriedly approved emergency financial relief to help school districts cope with the costs of the coronavirus on Monday before adjourning for a month to comply with state and federal orders limiting gatherings to stem the spread of the contagion. (Fensterwald, 3/16/20)
Planet Money: Paid Leave Vs The Pandemic – On Friday night, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced that Congress had reached a bipartisan agreement on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201), and President Trump subsequently tweeted his support. (Rosalsky, 3/17/20)
Education Dive: Third coronavirus assistance package could include additional $3B for schools – The House and Senate have introduced bills that would provide $3 billion in the form of mandatory grant programs and flexibilities for early childhood education programs and K-12 schools. (Modan, 3/16/20)
The Wall Street Journal: House Democrats Scale Back Paid-Leave Program in Coronavirus-Aid Bill – Measure would still provide two weeks of sick leave to a wide swath of workers, but restrict eligibility for further time off. (Hughes & Andrews & Davidson, 3/17/20)
The Hill: Congress hit for not doing more on paid leave – Advocacy groups are hitting Congress for not going far enough in providing emergency paid sick and family leave in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, saying legislation passed by the House and backed by President Trump leaves too many people behind. (Elis, 3/17/20)
The Hill: Pelosi calls for expanding paid leave in next stimulus package – Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday said House Democrats demand that any subsequent legislation to help mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic include an expansion of emergency paid leave. (Marcos, 3/17/20)
The Los Angeles Times: Column: Citing coronavirus, judge blocks Trump plan to take food stamps from 700,000 people
Showing that at least some members of the federal government are doing their jobs, a federal judge late last week blocked a Trump administration rule change that would have thrown an estimated 700,000 low-income Americans off the food stamp rolls. (Hiltzik, 3/17/20)
Education Week: Democrats Unveil $3 Billion Coronavirus Aid Package for Education – Leading Democrats on congressional education committees have introduced an emergency aid package to help K-12 schools and colleges and universities deal with the spread of the coronavirus, which has triggered a mass closure of schools across the country. (Ujifusa, 3/17/20)
ABC News: Trump signs coronavirus relief measure ensuring paid sick, emergency leave – The Senate will vote on the House-passed economic relief bill on Wednesday. (Khan, 3/18/20)
BuzzFeed: Congress Passed A Major Coronavirus Aid Bill And Is Already Working On Another – Once signed into law by Trump, the over $100 billion bill will provide some sick leave, childcare leave, and a variety of other measures. But negotiations over a much larger bill to save the economy have just begun. (McLeod, 3/18/20)
WBUR: Baker Orders All Child Care Centers Closed By Monday – Gov. Charlie Baker has ordered all early education centers and child care providers to close by Monday in response to the coronavirus outbreak. (Jarmanning, 3/18/20)
WPR: Wisconsin Puts Limits On Child Care Centers Over COVID-19 – State Asking Most Families To Keep Kids Home, Keeps Child Care Open For Workers In Health Care And Other Essential Services. (Carlson, 3/18/20)
The New York Times: Who Qualifies for Paid Leave Under the New Coronavirus Law – It is the first time the U.S. will have broad federally mandated paid leave. But some will be excluded from the emergency measure. (Miller, 3/19/20)
Modern Healthcare: GOP-led states diverge on easing Medicaid access during COVID-19 – At least two Republican-led states want to temporarily ease their Medicaid waiver requirements and make it easier for residents to get and keep coverage under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program during the coronavirus pandemic. (Meyer, 3/19/20)
BuzzFeedNews: The Trump Administration Changed Course On Food Stamps Amid The Coronavirus Outbreak After Courts And Congress Intervened – The White House has abandoned its plan to kick people off food stamps who don’t work 20 hours per week — at least until the coronavirus outbreak is over. (McLeod, 3/19/20)
NPR: Here’s What Is In The ‘Families First’ Coronavirus Aid Package Trump Approved – President Trump signed a second coronavirus emergency aid package into law Wednesday evening, after it passed with overwhelming support from the Senate. (Sprunt, 3/19/20)
Support for Childcare Providers
Romper: Child Care Programs Need Coronavirus Funding, Advocates Urge Congress – With a growing number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, a coalition of public policy experts have called on Congress to take swift and immediate action in support of child care and early learning providers across the country. (Brinlee, 3/11/20)
ChalkBeat: Child care providers are feeling an unprecedented squeeze. Now, they’re asking for help. – Many child care providers won’t survive the coronavirus outbreak, a coalition of state groups warned Thursday, as they pushed lawmakers to offer financial relief for day cares and early learning centers. (Metzler and Burke, 3/19/20)
CPR: Child Care Advocates Ask Feds For Help: ‘We’re The Frontline For The Economy’ – Colorado advocates say if the early child care sector doesn’t get a massive investment of federal funds, the providers face a near-total collapse during the deepening coronavirus crisis. (Brudin, 3/20/20)
First Five Years Fund, Congress Receives 60,000 Emails from FFYF Supporters Urging Relief for Child Care Industry – Last week, FFYF and our partners provided detailed recommendations to lawmakers with options for how best to support the child care industry during – and after this time of unprecedented uncertainty and disruption to business. (Joughin, 3/22/20)
The Hill: Child care industry requests $50 billion in relief – The child care industry is calling on Congress to include $50 billion in relief in its stimulus package to keep the sector afloat after the coronavirus pandemic has drastically impacted daily attendance at facilities. (Gangitano, 3/23/20)
Other
KPBS: Coronavirus Is Isolating Some Kids In Protective Care From Parents And Services – On Mondays and Tuesdays, Jessica’s daughter is supposed to stay overnight with her in Brooklyn, N.Y., but that’s all changed with the coronavirus outbreak. (Fadel, 3/21/20)
The Los Angeles Time: Editorial: Are California kids actually learning anything since coronavirus closed their schools – Some students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are receiving their lessons and homework assignments via the internet. (The Editorial Board, 3/22/20)
USA Today: Children more at risk for abuse and neglect amid coronavirus pandemic, experts say – Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable U.S. children could face a heightened risk of abuse and neglect as coronavirus-related school closures keep them at home and away from the nation’s biggest group of hotline tipsters: educators. (Hirt & Ball & Wedell, 3/22/20)
Resource for Child Care Providers
Child Care Aware: Should I Close My Child Care Program? A Coronavirus Flowchart – Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) understands that this is an uncertain time for child care providers, as they make decisions around what’s best for the business, community and families they serve. Below you will find a decision tree that we’ve adapted from the CDC’s guidelines for K-12 schools. (Coats, 3/17/20)
