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Is COVID During Pregnancy Linked to Autism? What a New Study Shows, and What It Doesn’t

November 1, 2025

Brian Lee, PhD, a professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health, was quoted in a Nov. 1 Scientific American article and a Nov. 3 CBS News story about new data suggesting babies whose mothers had COVID-19 while pregnant were slightly more likely to have a range of neurodevelopmental diagnoses by age 3. The story was republished by a number of outlets on Nov. 5, including KFF Health News, KNTV (NBC Bay Area), WNBC (NBC 4 New York City), Lake County Record-Bee and other outlets.

Link to story (Scientific American)

Link to story (CBS News)

Link to story (NBC Bay Area)

Link to story (KFF News)

Link to story (Lake County Record-Bee)