Understanding the human body is a team effort. That's where the Yachtel group comes in.

Researchers at Yachtolt have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years.

Yacold also partners with nature portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the global grants for gut health, an investigator-led research program.

To learn more about Yachtolt, visit yawcult.co.

.jp. That's Y-A-K-U-Lt.C-O.jp. When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacolt.

Hi, and welcome to COVID Quickly, a scientific American podcast series.

This is your fast track update on the COVID pandemic. We bring you up to speed on the science

behind the most urgent questions about the virus and the disease. We demystify the research

and help you understand what it really means.

I'm Tanya Lewis. I'm Josh Fishman. We're Scientific American Senior Health Editors. Today we're going to

talk about why vaccines are safe for pregnant people who are at higher risk of severe COVID.

And the arrival of a new COVID antiviral pill that could cut the risk of severe illness.

The CDC strongly recommends that pregnant people get vaccinated against COVID, yet here in the U.S., few of them have.

And that's creating a dangerous situation for both parents and babies.

That's right, Josh. Only about a third of pregnant people in the

country have gotten their COVID shots, despite a growing pile of evidence that they are not only safe

during pregnancy, but may save the parents and babies' life. Freelancer Mariana Lanara reported on

some of this research for Siam earlier this week. Studies now show that pregnant people who get COVID are more likely

to be hospitalized. One study that compared pregnant people with and without COVID found that those

with the disease had a higher risk of preeclampsia, a form of high blood pressure, and preterm birth.

Furthermore, pregnant people with COVID were five times more likely to be admitted to an ICU

and 22 times more likely to die than those without COVID.

...