A mum who was separated from her newborn baby because she tested positive for Covid-19 has begged others to get vaccinated.
Clair Griffiths tested positive a fortnight before she was due to give birth to her son, Albie.
The 43-year-old from Shrewsbury needed to have an emergency caesarean section a week before her due date on July 18.
She returned home but two days later was rushed into hospital as her Covid-19 symptoms worsened.
After a week in an intensive care unit separated from her baby boy, the mum has issued a passionate plea to people who still haven’t had the jab.
She said: ‘This is so hard to put, this week should of be the most happiest week with the birth of my little boy, but it’s not, he is at home and I’m in hospital with Covid pneumonia, because [people] are still not getting jabs to help, it’s not nice, please please book your jabs keep people fit and alive, and I would be with my baby right now.’
Ms Griffiths said she was unable to have the vaccine during her pregnancy due to medication she was on at the time.
She added: ‘Get the vaccine, it’s not going to do you any damage but what [Covid] can do to others of all ages is worse, I’m not going to get the time back with my son, people really need to grow up.’
Women carrying children are being urged to get the jab after Oxford University research showed 99% of pregnant patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 are unvaccinated.
Since February 1, 2021, of the 742 women admitted since that date, only four have received a single dose of vaccine and none have received both doses.
Marian Knight, professor of maternal and child population health at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, and chief investigator of the study, said more than 50,000 women in the UK and more than 130,000 in the US have had a vaccine in pregnancy with no concerns over safety.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I think pregnant women can be reassured about the safety of the vaccine.
‘And we need to emphasise the benefits, not only to them but we know that antibodies are passed on to their babies as well, so it’s really important not just to prevent illness in you as a pregnant woman, but also to prevent the consequences of illness for your baby.’
A spokesperson for the vaccination programme in Ms Griffiths’ local area responded by calling on all pregnant women to make sure they have the jab.
They said: ‘Pregnant women with Covid-19 have a higher risk of intensive care admission than women of the same age who are not pregnant.
‘Women with Covid-19 are also two to three times more likely to have their babies early than women without Covid-19.
‘Pregnant women with underlying clinical conditions are at even higher risk of suffering serious complications from Covid-19.
‘Covid-19 vaccines offer pregnant women the best protection against Covid-19 disease which can be serious in later pregnancy for some women.’
Health experts say there is no evidence vaccines can reduce fertility or prevent breastfeeding.
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