Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 31, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2025 A8 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I CANADA / WORLD COVID in pregnancy tied to autism, developmental issues, study says CHILDREN born to mothers infected with COVID-19 during pregnancy faced a higher risk of autism, along with other neurological differences such as delays in speech and motor development, according to a study pub- lished Thursday. The analysis of more than 18,100 births in Massachusetts, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, is among the largest studies to date examining children born to women who contracted the virus starting in the early months of the pandemic through some of 2021, before vaccines were widely available. The study’s authors emphasized that, as an observational study, the findings do not prove that COVID-19 causes the conditions diagnosed in children, but rather signal an association between maternal infection and these outcomes. And the risk of such a diagnosis, even while elevated for women, remains extremely low, said Andrea G. Edlow, a physician scientist at Mass General Hospital and an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School. “It’s not that every pregnant woman with COVID-19 in pregnancy needs to think that her child is going to have autism,” Edlow, a co-author, said. “Overall, the absolute risk is not ex- tremely high.” Public health experts say the find- ings underscore the importance of COVID-19 vaccination during preg- nancy, noting that protecting expect- ant mothers helps safeguard both their health and that of their babies. The re- sults come at a time when coronavirus vaccination rates have declined. This spring, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a longtime vaccine skeptic — announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would no longer recommend the cor- onavirus vaccine for healthy pregnant women, prompting widespread criti- cism from public health experts. The American College of Obstetri- cians and Gynecologists continues to recommend vaccination and federal officials now say all Americans re- gardless of risk factors should consult a medical provider about getting a cor- onavirus vaccine. The Trump administration has inten- sified its scrutiny of coronavirus vac- cine policies while promoting claims that taking Tylenol during pregnancy may increase the risk of autism. There are currently no scientific studies that show acetaminophen dur- ing pregnancy causes autism, accord- ing to many medical experts, who warn that fevers mothers experience during pregnancy can also be harmful. Mary Ann Comunale, an associate professor at Drexel University’s Col- lege of Medicine, said the study offers important evidence-based information for discussion between a clinician and their patient. “This is particularly important in the current climate of vaccine hesitancy,” said Comunale, who was not involved in the Massachusetts study. In the new study, researchers exam- ined medical records between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021. Among 861 women who had tested positive for the coronavirus during pregnancy, 140 gave birth to a child who would receive a neurodevelopment diagnosis by the age of three. Few had received vaccinations, re- searchers said. Future studies of lar- ger populations are needed to reveal the potential risk for women who re- ceived coronavirus vaccinations, said Edlow and co-author Roy H. Perlis, a Mass General researcher and Harvard psychiatry professor. The research builds on a growing body of work about the impact of viral infection during pregnancy and fetal health. There’s strong evidence that some viruses such as rubella, varicel- la-zoster and Zika may directly cause fetal injury. In 2015 and 2016, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency when the Zika virus was spreading in Latin America and was linked to hundreds of births of children with microcephaly, a condition charac- terized by an abnormally small head and underdeveloped brain. Scientists believe it is rare for res- piratory viruses such as flu and SARS- CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, to cross the placental barrier and that the impact on the fetus may be because of a mother’s immune response. One possible culprit may be inflam- mation, which results in the release of signalling molecules that may influ- ence how neurons — the working unit of the nervous system — in the brain grow, connect and migrate. Flu and COVID-19 have been linked to obstetric complications such as pre- term birth, but the evidence regard- ing longer-term impacts on children’s neurodevelopment has been more mixed — with some studies showing small increases in diagnoses and others showing no effect. Edlow explained that “if the fetus’ immune system gets really revved up, that could have downstream con- sequences, not just for the developing brain, but also for the metabolic sys- tem, the liver, the pancreas, the heart, the adipose tissue.” She said that in addition to neuro- developmental diagnoses, other out- comes could include obesity and meta- bolic syndrome, or insulin resistance later in life. Researchers noted several weak- nesses in the study. Lisa Croen, senior research scientist at the Kaiser Perma- nente Northern California Division of Research, said that maternal condi- tions such as obesity, hypertension, ges- tational diabetes were not controlled for in any of the analyses “so findings could be confounded by these factors.” She said more research is needed, but the results do “provide addition- al, strong rationale for supporting COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.” — The Washington Post DAVID OVALLE, ARIANA EUNJUNG CHA A RICHMOND, B.C., councillor says a company based in the city has been refused financing for what she says is a $100 million project be- cause of uncertainty over their site due to the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title ruling. Coun. Alexa Loo said the company, which she wouldn’t name, is now work- ing with the provincial government to get the certainty it needs to go ahead with what she described as a manufac- turing facility in the title area. “This company, they had a deal al- ready in place with one of the major banks to finance their project,” Loo said in an interview on Wednesday, identifying the potential lender as Na- tional Bank. She said the company already owns land for the planned facility in the Co- wichan area, but was told by the bank that it “doesn’t want to deal with new projects at this time” because of the uncertainty stemming from the court ruling. “So, it’s not an existing mortgage that is being pulled … but they are cancel- ling this project for now, because of the uncertainty over the land title and because the appeal process could take anywhere from three to five years to 10 years,” Loo said. Asked if it had denied funding to such a project in the Cowichan title area be- cause of the case, National Bank said in a one-sentence response that “no specific directive has been given to our teams regarding this court ruling.” Loo had previously spoken of the situ- ation with residents before a meeting with landowners on Tuesday about the impact of the landmark case that con- firmed the tribes’ Aboriginal title over about 750 acres of private and govern- ment-owned land in Richmond. When asked about the case, The City of Richmond provided a statement from Loo saying the firm “is loathe to discuss” its financial situation publicly. In August, a B.C Supreme Court judge ruled the Cowichan Tribes have Aboriginal title over the land on the Fraser River, that Crown and city titles on the land are defective and invalid and that the granting of private titles on it by the government unjustifiably infringed on the Cowichan title. The province, Richmond and other defendants have said they plan to ap- peal the ruling that has triggered con- cern about the implications for private land ownership both in the Cowichan area and beyond. The provincial government said it’s collecting information from property owners, including whether they have been able to get mortgages or financing since the decision and Premier David Eby has encouraged affected parties to come forward. Attorney General Niki Sharma said she had heard of the case described by Loo, and asked her staff to find out more. “That’s part of the work that we are doing,” Sharma said. “We are looking into all the potential impacts here.” Sharma said later that government hasn’t “ruled out anything” when asked whether the government would give fi- nancial support to property owners af- fected by the ruling. “We are very seized with this issue and we are working through all the ways that we can support people,” she said. On Wednesday, Eby said the province would seek a stay on the August ruling, which was already suspended for 18 months by the judge in the case, in or- der to give the Cowichan, Canada and Richmond time to make “necessary ar- rangements.” — The Canadian Press NONO SHEN AND WOLFGANG DEPNER Project denied funding over title ruling uncertainty, B.C. councillor says DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Industrial lands that fall within the boundaries of a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title claim are seen in an aerial view in Richmond, B.C. last August. ;