This assignment tests students’ ability in detecting the copy mistakes in a story. Students are required to choose TWO from the five stories given and use the copyediting symbols to edit the raw copy. After editing, they are required to rewrite the correct version.Original raw copy with mistakes detected.
Story 1
Rewritten version
Story 1
Will catching COVID in pregnancy affect your baby’s development?
Pregnancy women urged to get the vaccination
The more we learn about COVID-19, the more we understand that it is a multisystem disorder, meaning it is not simply an infection of the respiratory system – its effects are far wider than that.
Much has been said about the importance of getting pregnant women vaccinated; we have seen unvaccinated pregnant women in ICUs as well as higher numbers suffering from stillbirths and premature deliveries as a result of catching the virus. But what of the babies who are lucky enough to survive their mothers catching COVID; how does it affect them?
The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the body through the nasal passage and infects lung cells by binding to the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. From there it can move to infect other parts of the body where ACE2 receptors are also found, including on the placenta, the organ that connects a pregnant mother with her unborn baby.
The placenta’s job is, among other things, to protect the unborn child from infections that the mother may get, although there are some infections – like Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Zika virus, and the herpes simplex virus – that have managed to get past this barrier and infect babies, with devastating outcomes.
It remains unclear if SARS-CoV-2 can break through the placental barrier, and we are unsure whether newborn babies who test positive for COVID soon after birth caught it from their mother before or during delivery. But there is good evidence of mothers being able to pass on antibodies against COVID to their unborn babies during pregnancy.
Furthermore, vaccination of pregnant women has been shown to result in maternal IgG production five days after the first jab. IgG, an important antibody that helps fight COVID, was found to transfer across the placenta and help protect the baby 16 days after the first dose of the vaccine.
In mothers hospitalised with COVID, preterm birth – a baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy – is the most common adverse pregnancy outcome. For mothers infected at some point in their pregnancy, the risk of giving birth at less than 37 weeks was 40 percent higher, while the risk of very preterm birth – which occurs at less than 32 weeks of gestation – was 60 percent higher. For those who also had hypertension, diabetes and/or obesity, the risk of preterm birth rose 160 percent.
Any illness that causes stress to a pregnant woman’s lungs, immune system or circulatory system can affect blood and oxygen flow to the womb where the baby is developing, increasing the risk of preterm delivery. COVID not only causes respiratory and cardiovascular stress but also induces a strong immune response which can cause widespread inflammation. It is this combination that can increase the risk of a pregnant woman infected with COVID going into preterm labour.
Being born prematurely carries significant risk to babies, potentially leading to long-term intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A number of studies have found that being born prematurely is a major risk factor for cerebral palsy. The risk is especially high for babies born earlier than 32 weeks. Cerebral palsy is the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and coordination; it is caused by a problem with the brain that develops before, during, or soon after birth.
Several studies have found that preterm infants are at higher risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, and motor and sensory abnormalities, including problems related to vestibular balance, pain processing, and deafness. These are all things that have long-lasting effects well into adulthood.
Although it remains unclear as to whether a mother can pass on COVID to her unborn child, it is becoming increasingly clear that COVID increases the risk of preterm delivery and the long-term complications that come with this. We have strong and clear data showing that pregnant women can safely be vaccinated against the virus and that the antibodies generated by vaccines may offer some protection to newborn babies.
The safest and most effective way to protect yourself and your baby from the effects of COVID-19 are to get vaccinated.
Source: Aljazeera, December 6, 2021
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