‘Worst nightmare.’ Mom-to-be loses unborn twins to COVID, Texas officials say
A pregnant mom-to-be lost her unborn twins to COVID-19 after she contracted the coronavirus earlier this year, Texas health officials reported.
“Today was a gut punch, this has been probably one of the toughest days that we’ve had to go through,” said Kelly Craine, public information officer with Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, according to KWTX. “It’s hard to talk about, this one is truly a tragic loss.”
The fetal infants died on July 20, the TV station reported, but the health district didn’t receive the twins’ death certificates, verified by the Texas Department of State Health Services, until this week.
The mother has since recovered from COVID-19, officials said, according to WANE.
How far along the mom was in her pregnancy, her age and her COVID-19 vaccination status were not shared by health officials, citing health privacy laws, KWTX reported.
“Pregnant women with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and miscarriages” said Local Health Authority Dr. Farley Verner, according to 6News. “Pregnant women or women of childbearing age and those breastfeeding are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their babies from COVID-19.”
A study published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in March found that pregnant and breastfeeding women who receive a vaccine gain similar COVID-19 antibodies as non-pregnant and non-lactating women who also receive it, McClatchy News previously reported.
The antibodies were also found in the umbilical cord blood and breast milk of all women who were part of the study, the study found. That means coronavirus immunity is passed from mom to baby.
A different analysis reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that pregnant women with COVID-19 have a 70% increased chance of dying, McClatchy News reported.
“The risk is real,” Craine said, according to News6. “What we’ve seen can happen, you know your worst thoughts, your worst nightmare, has happened — (it) doesn’t have to happen to you.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 9:29 AM with the headline "‘Worst nightmare.’ Mom-to-be loses unborn twins to COVID, Texas officials say."