A mother who decided not to get the vaccine while pregnant said she almost died from Covid-19 and is asking other pregnant women to get vaccinated.
Zoey Edwards, 32, of Preston, did not receive the coronavirus vaccine while pregnant because she was concerned about the consequences it would have on her and her unborn child.
But she regretted her decision when she was in intensive care and her doctor discussed placing her into a coma.
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According to health experts including WHO scientists, Covid-19 vaccinations do not contain chemicals known to be dangerous to pregnant women or growing kids.
They recommend that women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy get their Covid-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
Ms Edwards believes she caught Covid-19 from her son, who was sent home by the school due to illness. She began to experience symptoms a few days later, on June 14.
At just 35 weeks into her pregnancy, the 32-year-old was brought to Royal Preston Hospital’s intensive care unit on June 25. The same night, doctors performed an emergency caesarean to save her and her baby’s lives.
Ms Edwards, who was discharged from hospital on July 7 and is now at home, told ITV News:
“Basically, I’ve just nearly lost my life because of Covid and I wouldn’t be sat here now and neither would my baby.
“So I would go and have the jab at about 27-28 weeks (of pregnancy).”
Speaking about nearly being put in a coma, Ms Edwards broke down and said she believes if it had happened, she “wouldn’t have come out”.
Ms Edwards explained her decision not to get the vaccine while pregnant, saying:
“I felt like there wasn’t enough research out there. I heard so many stories about people who have still births and miscarriages under 16 weeks.
“The US have got quite a lot of research but in England, we haven’t really got a lot. And I didn’t know a lot of people, or hardly anyone, that had the jab.
“So for me, it was like keeping me and my baby safe for the nine months.”
But she said she later regretted her decision:
“When it got to being in intensive care and the consultant saying we might have to put her in a coma, I was thinking if I had had my jab beforehand or if I had had my jab at the right time or while being pregnant, I wouldn’t be sat in this position now.”
Ms Edwards stated that Covid-19 has had a “massive toll” on her, noting that she is now receiving counselling, seeing a physiotherapist for her lungs, and taking medication for a possible blood clot.
Ms Edwards’ breathing problems persisted even after she was discharged from the hospital.
The impact of not being able to see her son and partner after having her C-section and in intensive care has also had a mental impact on the mum.
Asked about how she felt upon returning home from hospital after a gruelling two weeks, Ms Edwards broke down and said: “Best thing ever.”
She added that “just to see everyone’s faces again and (going) back to normality” has been a huge relief.
It comes as researchers discovered that more than 99 percent of pregnant women admitted to hospitals with Covid-19 are unvaccinated, with the Delta coronavirus variant posing a much higher risk of severe disease.
The findings of Oxford University researchers are “concerning,” with one in ten pregnant women admitted to hospitals with Covid-19 symptoms requiring intensive care.
The scientists stated in a paper published in the online journal medRxiv that immunizations can provide effective protection against the danger of becoming very unwell with Covid-19, with considerably less numbers of vaccinated groups in hospital compared to those who have not received the jab.
The researchers examined data from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS), which included all pregnant women in the UK admitted to hospital with Covid-19 symptoms from the start of the pandemic up to July 11, 2021
They discovered that 3,371 pregnant women were admitted to the hospital with disease symptoms.
The researchers also revealed that the severity of women’s illnesses appeared to have worsened during the duration of the pandemic, with 24% of women admitted in the first wave having moderate or severe disease, compared to 36% with the Alpha variant and 45% with the Delta.
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The researchers also examined vaccination data collected since February 1, 2021, and discovered that only four of the 742 women admitted since that date had gotten a single dose of vaccine, and none had received both doses.
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