Mother who turned down Covid jab makes vaccine plea after baby born at just 1lb 4oz

A new mother who was 24 weeks pregnant when she fell seriously ill with coronavirus is now urging other expectant mums to take the vaccine.

After developing Covid-19 symptoms, Claudia Li, 30, from Birmingham, was hooked up to a ventilator and medics were compelled to carry out an emergency C-section to save her and her baby’s life.

Her son weighed less than 1kg, at just 630g (1lb 11oz) when he was born on 20 July— 16 weeks before his late autumn due date.

“Please, take the vaccine. I didn’t. Don’t risk yours and your baby’s life,” Ms Li told Birmingham Live.

Ms Li said she saw her GP and within hours was rushed to hospital in an ambulance but her husband wasn’t allowed to join her because of Covid restrictions.

“I believe it was at that moment it all became so real, [I realised] I was very sick and wasn’t able to get better myself,” she said.

“The whole thing happened very quickly. I’m trying to remember the details, but when the doctor talked to me, I was quite poorly, and I was quickly intubated afterwards [put on a ventilator], so my memories are vague.

“What I remember is that the doctor told me they were considering carrying out a Caesarean section to save me and they will do the best for the baby.”

While Ms Li was discharged earlier this week, her first child remains on a ventilator because his lungs are not fully formed.

Ms Li came forward with her story because she feels many pregnant women are apprehensive about taking the vaccine.

She said: “I did get offered a vaccine via letters and text messages but at the time I felt the vaccine could potentially do more harm than good to the baby.”

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

“But now, all I say to other pregnant women is take your vaccine. Nothing can be worse than getting admitted to hospital and having to deliver your baby prematurely.”

A poll carried out by campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed on more than 9,000 pregnant women, showed that 41 per cent of the respondents had not received a single dose of the vaccine. Only 21 per cent had two doses of the vaccine.

In a letter addressed to the health secretary, the group said, “fewer pregnant women have been vaccinated due to the original guidance, reversed in April, which suggested vaccines were not safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women”.

In the same letter, the campaign group alleged that the government did not prioritise pregnant women as a vulnerable group during the vaccine rollout.

“Some people at high risk from Covid-19 can get an earlier appointment for their second dose (at 8 weeks instead of 12 weeks) but pregnant women are not included in this group, even though they are a vulnerable group,” it read.

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

Around 130,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated in the US, and no safety concerns have been identified.

Public Health England said that coronavirus vaccines, chiefly Pfizer and Moderna, offer pregnant women the best protection against the disease, which can be serious in late-stage pregnancy for some women.

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

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said pregnant women are more likely to get seriously ill from coronavirus and that no pregnant woman with two jabs has been hospitalised so far.

Pregnant Then Screwed is urging the government to be proactive and precise in its vaccine messaging to expectant mums.