CEDAR PARK, Texas — A Texas woman recently gave birth to her son in the same hospital where she lost her husband to COVID-19 just two months before.
Maria Garza told Good Morning America that she gave birth to her baby boy on July 19 and named him after his father, Jason Garza. The mother called the birth a “bittersweet moment.”
Maria said that her husband knew they were having a child before he contracted the coronavirus in February, but he wasn’t able to be present for most of her pregnancy because he was hospitalized.
Maria told KXAN that she had COVID-19 last year, so she thought her husband’s case would be mild like hers was. However, the disease progressed quickly in Jason’s case, and he was admitted to a hospital when he had trouble breathing. Soon, he was put on a ventilator, and he died in May.
While Jason was on a ventilator, Maria says she got her COVID-19 vaccine during her first trimester.
Now, Maria is sharing her story to encourage other pregnant women, and all people, to get vaccinated against the coronavirus to protect themselves and their children from the virus. She told GMA that she doesn’t want others to go through what her husband and her family have gone through.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people.
“If you are pregnant, you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy can protect you from severe illness from COVID-19,” the CDC says on its website.
Based on how these vaccines work in the body, experts believe they are unlikely to pose a risk for people who are pregnant. However, the CDC says there is currently limited data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant people.
With that said, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOP), as well as the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), have recommended that all eligible people receive a COVID-19 vaccine, including pregnant and lactating individuals.