The mum who refused a Covid shot demands the vaccine after giving birth to a baby weighing just 1 pound 4 ounces

[ad_1]

The new mother who was 24 weeks pregnant when she fell seriously ill with the coronavirus is now urging other expectant mothers to get the vaccine.

After showing symptoms of Covid-19, Claudia Lee, 30, of Birmingham, was connected to a ventilator and paramedics had to perform an emergency C-section to save her life and that of her baby.

Her son weighed less than 1kg, and only 630g (1lb 11oz) when he was born on July 20th – 16 weeks before his due date in late fall.

“Please take the vaccine. I didn’t. Don’t risk your life and your child’s life,” Mrs. Lee told Birmingham Live.

Ms. Lee said she saw her GP and was taken within hours to the hospital in an ambulance but her husband was not allowed to join her due to Covid restrictions.

“I think at that moment everything became very real, [I realised] “I was very sick and couldn’t get better on my own,” she said.

“It all happened very quickly. I try to remember the details, but when the doctor spoke to me, I was in very bad shape, and soon afterwards I was intubated. [put on a ventilator], so my memories are vague.

“What I remember is that the doctor told me they were considering a caesarean section to save me and would do everything they could for the baby.”

While Ms. Lee was discharged from the hospital earlier this week, her first child remained on a ventilator because his lungs had not fully formed.

Ms. Lee brought up her story because she feels many pregnant women are too afraid to get vaccinated.

“I’ve had a vaccine via messages and text messages, but at the time I felt the vaccine could do more harm to the baby than good,” she said.

“[I thought] How does the government know that the vaccine is safe? How can they ensure that there are no long-term effects on the baby after it is born? So, at the time I felt the bad outweighed the good, so I didn’t take the vaccine.

“But now, all I tell other pregnant women is to get your vaccine. Nothing could be worse than being hospitalized and having to deliver your baby prematurely.”

A survey conducted by a pregnancy-and-then-pregnant group of more than 9,000 pregnant women showed that 41 percent of respondents did not receive a single dose of the vaccine. Only 21 percent had two doses of the vaccine.

In a letter to the Minister of Health, the group said, “Fewer pregnant women have been vaccinated due to the original guidance, which was reversed in April, which indicated that vaccines are not safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women.”

In the same letter, the campaign group claimed that the government did not prioritize pregnant women as a vulnerable group during the vaccine launch.

“Some people at high risk of Covid-19 can get an early appointment for their second dose (at 8 weeks instead of 12 weeks) but pregnant women are not included in this group, despite being an at-risk group,” the statement read.

Now the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) has advised that coronavirus vaccines should be given to pregnant women at the same time as people of the same age or risk group.

About 130,000 pregnant women in the United States have been vaccinated, and no safety concerns have been identified.

Public Health England said coronavirus vaccines, led by Pfizer and Moderna, provide pregnant women with the best protection against disease, which can be dangerous in the later stages of pregnancy for some women.

The Department of Health and Social Care said an estimated 52,000 pregnant women in England were vaccinated without safety concerns.

The Minister of Vaccinations, Nadim Al-Zahawi, said that pregnant women are more likely to contract a serious illness from the Corona virus, and that no pregnant woman with two doses has been hospitalized so far.

Pregnant Then Scout is urging the government to be proactive and accurate in the vaccination messages it sends to expectant mothers.

[ad_2]