Health
More cities in Japan prioritizing COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women – The Japan Times
A growing number of local governments have been putting pregnant women on the priority list for COVID-19 vaccinations following the death of a newborn earlier this month after the mother, who was infected with the coronavirus, was forced to give birth at home due to a shortage of hospital beds.
The woman in her 30s gave birth to the baby prematurely on Aug. 17 at her home in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. At least nine hospitals turned away the woman, who had moderate symptoms, as they were all unable to take in a pregnant patient. The baby boy, born in the 29th week of pregnancy, was pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital.
Since the start of the vaccine rollout in February, pregnant women have not been the focus of the government’s campaign to get people vaccinated, based on a lack of data from clinical trials, and that is not going to change for now.
But the health ministry changed its policy this week to a more proactive tone, calling on local governments to pay “special consideration” to opening up vaccine reservations for pregnant women and their partners as soon as possible.
“Pregnant women and lactating individuals can get the vaccine,” a ministry leaflet says. “There have been no reports that the vaccine has an adverse impact on pregnancy, the fetus, breast milk or genitals. Regardless of the stage of pregnancy, vaccination is recommended.”
Following the ministry’s move, Koto Ward in Tokyo has announced it will prioritize inoculations for expecting mothers, with the group given preferential access to reservations from Friday to Sunday. Vaccinations will be administered through Oct. 17.
Other cities that have made similar moves include Hadano and Isehara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba and Funabashi in Chiba Prefecture, and Kuki and Konosu in Saitama Prefecture. Aichi Prefecture will also vaccinate pregnant women as well as their partners without reservations at prefecture-run mass vaccination centers, Gov. Hideaki Omura said Monday.
Infected pregnant women are at an increased risk of severe illness compared with other people, in addition to having a higher risk of experiencing a preterm birth, experts say.
“Data from the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology has shown that pregnant women infected with COVID-19 in the third trimester or after 28 weeks are at an increased risk of severe illness,” said Dr. Tetsuo Nakayama, a project professor at Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences and director of the Japanese Society of Clinical Virology. “As for the fetus, there is no higher risk of miscarriage reported, but the possibility of premature birth is higher.”
The recent policy shift came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Aug. 11 recommended the vaccine to all pregnant women age 12 and older, saying its analysis did not find an increased risk of miscarriage among nearly 2,500 pregnant women who received a messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine before 20 weeks of pregnancy. The CDC had previously not recommended they get the vaccine.
The CDC also endorsed the vaccine for breastfeeding mothers and those who are trying to get pregnant now or who might become pregnant in the future, adding that there’s no evidence any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems.
Three days later, the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology revised their stance, recommending the mRNA-based vaccines to all pregnant women and their partners, given that about 80% of pregnant women’s infections come from their partners. Previously, it had said they could get the vaccine after consultation with a doctor.
As hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, there are fears that tragic cases like the one in Chiba could only increase, especially in areas with high numbers of virus cases. Even if infected patients call for an ambulance, experts say many hospitals in hot spots such as the Tokyo metropolitan area are “virtually full” and hospitals are struggling to admit patients due to staff shortages.
“Premature babies do not have sufficiently developed lungs and they may need oxygenation,” Nakayama said. “The first five minutes (after birth) is the most critical time frame to conduct lifesaving measures. Otherwise, the babies could suffer from aftereffects or die.”
As a countermeasure, internal affairs minister Ryota Takeda said Monday that the Fire and Disaster Management Agency would ask prefectural governments to provide a list of medical facilities that can accept pregnant women who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Up until now, whenever there’s an emergency call from a COVID-19 patient, including from a pregnant woman, fire departments have had to call public health centers, which would then make arrangements to admit the patient to hospital — a time-consuming process.
From now on, whenever the fire departments determine there’s a need for an emergency gynecological procedure on a pregnant COVID-19 patient, they will be able to directly make such arrangements with hospitals to expedite their admission, he said.
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Alberta Health Services (AHS) has confirmed a case of measles in Edmonton, and is advising the public that the individual was out in public while infectious.
Measles is an extremely contagious disease that is spread easily through the air, and can only be prevented through immunization.
AHS says individuals who were in the following locations during the specified dates and times, may have been exposed to measles.
- April 16
- Edmonton International Airport, international arrivals and baggage claim area — between 3:20 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- April 20
- Stollery Children’s Hospital Emergency Department — between 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- April 22
- 66th Medical Clinic (13635 66 St NW Edmonton) — between 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Pharmacy 66 (13637 66 St NW Edmonton) — between 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- April 23
- Stollery Children’s Hospital Emergency Department — between 4:40 a.m. to 9:33 a.m.
AHS says anyone who attended those locations during those times is at risk of developing measles if they’ve not had two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine.
Those who have not had two doses, who are pregnant, under one year of age, or have a weakened immune system are at greatest risk of getting measles and should contact Health Link at 1-877-720-0707.
Symptoms
Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.3° C or higher, cough, runny nose, and/or red eyes, a red blotchy rash that appears three to seven days after fever starts, beginning behind the ears and on the face and spreading down the body and then to the arms and legs.
If you have any of these symptoms stay home and call Health Link.
In Alberta, measles vaccine is offered, free of charge, through Alberta’s publicly funded immunization program. Children in Alberta typically receive their first dose of measles vaccine at 12 months of age, and their second dose at 18 months of age.
Health
U.S. tightens rules for dairy cows a day after bird flu virus fragments found in pasteurized milk samples – Toronto Star
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Infected cows were already prohibited from being transported out of state, but that was based on the physical characteristics of the milk, which looks curdled when a cow is infected, or a cow has decreased lactation or low appetite, both symptoms of infection.
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