Pregnant mom in Houston struggling to escape effects of COVID

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A pregnant mother in Houston just can’t seem to escape the impacts of COVID-19.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, tells not only did her stepfather die from the virus in August 2020, her uncle also died a month later.

Her 5-year-old had the virus in January and last week, her one-year-old developed a fever and tested positive.

Shortly after, her 2-year-old daughter also tested positive.

Now, at 29-weeks pregnant, the mother is fighting the virus herself.

“It is brutal,” she told Eyewitness News on Thursday.

The mother, who is not vaccinated, said she had every intention of getting the shot, but then she got pregnant.

“In my opinion, there aren’t enough tests out there to say it is safe,” she said. “From January until now, nine months haven’t even passed to say these kids are OK.”

Dr. Joseph Varon with United Memorial Medical Center points to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the Food and Drug Administration on pregnant women getting vaccinated.

“They have been very vocal and stating that women who are pregnant and women who are breast feeding should get vaccinated,” he said. “The worst thing you can see is a pregnant woman with COVID.”

According to Memorial Hermann Hospital, 99% of people hospitalized with the virus are not vaccinated, but what they’re seeing now is that the people hospitalized are younger than before.

People in their 20s, 30s and 40s make up 40% of hospitalizations. That wasn’t the case six months ago.

In January and February, older adults were the ones hospitalized, but now, that population has been vaccinated.