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Fearing infection, some women choose home births over hospital stays | Coronavirus Newsletter

Plus, how the pandemic has created greater challenges for special-education students

Tiearra Sampson and her 4 year old son Zaiden Miles were photographed near their Phila. home on April 12, 2020. Sampson, who is pregnant, and more and more pregnant women in Philadelphia are seeking home births, but insurance won't pay for them and that leaves financially strapped and low-income women hostage. They have to choose between going in debt and paying $5,500 cash for a home birth or delivering at a hospital, where they fear being exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19).
Tiearra Sampson and her 4 year old son Zaiden Miles were photographed near their Phila. home on April 12, 2020. Sampson, who is pregnant, and more and more pregnant women in Philadelphia are seeking home births, but insurance won't pay for them and that leaves financially strapped and low-income women hostage. They have to choose between going in debt and paying $5,500 cash for a home birth or delivering at a hospital, where they fear being exposed to coronavirus (COVID-19).Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

TL;DR: With schools closed for the rest of the academic year, the families of special-education students fear their children will fall further behind. And for some women, concerns of catching the coronavirus in a hospital now outweigh the risks of a home birth.

— Allison Steele (@AESteele, health@inquirer.com)

What you need to know:

🛑 The U.S. and Canada extended border restrictions for nonessential travel for another 30 days.

🔒 With beaches closed and Memorial Day weeks away, Jersey Shore renters and realtors are waiting to see if the entire local economy is upended by a wave of cancellations.

💰 Pennsylvania launched a portal where self-employed residents, contractors, and gig workers can file for unemployment, but the site immediately became overwhelmed by high traffic.

🎶 Gene Shay, Philly DJ and Folk Festival host, died of COVID-19 at age 85.

Local coronavirus cases

📈As of Saturday evening, there are more than 20,500 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.

  1. PHILADELPHIA: 9,014 confirmed cases

  2. SUBURBAN PA: 7,513 confirmed cases

  3. SOUTH JERSEY: 4,057 confirmed cases

Coronavirus has upended education for all children. For those with disabilities, the challenges are greater.

When the region’s public schools closed last month, the shutdown left the families of special-education students scrambling to assume the roles normally filled by teams of professionals. And advocates say that what schools provide can range from direct instruction and therapies over Zoom video calls, to limited-to-no communication with families.

“My worries are that … my children will regress," mother Syrita Powers said in the report by Maddie Hanna and Kristen Graham. “I’m just concerned they’ll lose everything we worked so hard to maintain.”

Fearing coronavirus at hospitals, these pregnant women would rather give birth at home, despite risks

A growing number of Philadelphia women are seeking home births, which can carry health risks and higher costs. Doctors have advised women to stick with their initial birth plans, but some expectant mothers have been unable to see their doctors for weeks because of social distancing guidelines, and worry that being in a hospital will expose them to COVID-19.

Helpful resources

  1. What are the first symptoms of the coronavirus? Pink eye is also a possible early warning sign of coronavirus, eye doctors report.

  2. What if someone in my house is sick? How to protect your household during coronavirus.

  3. Here are 8 principles of social distancing to help figure out what you can and can’t do.

  4. Not sure what a medical term means? We have definitions for you.

  5. Have another question? Our reporters have tracked down answers.

You got this: Celebrate Earth Day 2020 with a virtual run and more events

The Run for Clean Air race was canceled, but you can still celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by logging your own run time in a virtual event, attending an online conversation about environmental issues, or taking part in other streamed programs being offered around the region.

💉 With help from a federal grant, this Bethlehem company is fast-tracking development of a COVID-19 test that could produce results in 20 minutes.

🎥 Watch ’Caddyshack’ this weekend for the Inquirer’s “One Movie, One Philadelphia” series, then join local movie enthusiast and caddie Neil Oxman for a livestream Monday evening to hear his insights into the notorious comedy.

👐 When will America re-open? Check out these 10 cartoons that capture the debate taking place during this moment in time.

Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.

What we’re paying attention to

  1. No splashy press conferences or cable news interviews: Politico (and former Inquirer) reporter Holly Otterbein on how Gov. Wolf’s head-down approach has kept him off Trump’s list of enemies.

  2. In South Korea, local governments are on the front lines of radical containment efforts like digital contact tracing, monitoring and releasing information to the public in real time.

  3. The pandemic is giving people unusually vivid dreams. National Geographic explains why.

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