A California father described his regret after his unvaccinated pregnant wife was ventilated and their unborn baby died
- Esmeralda Ramos of Victorville, CA, caught COVID-19 in August about six months into her pregnancy.
- She had to be ventilated after being hospitalized and lost the baby on Sunday.
- Ramos, 43, was scared to be vaccinated, her husband said. He is calling on others to get the shots.
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A father spoke of his regret after his unvaccinated wife caught COVID-19 and lost their unborn son.
Esmeralda "Mely" Ramos, was hospitalized and on a ventilator as of Wednesday, The Washington Post reported.
Ramos, of Victorville, California, is 43 and has two other children.
Ramos was in her sixth month of pregnancy when she caught COVID-19 in mid-August, the Post said.
She had not been vaccinated, according to her husband Juan Guevara, who also unvaccinated, NBC Los Angeles reported.
"She's a nervous person. She was scared of getting it, thought it might affect the baby," Guevara told the outlet.
A picture of the family can be seen on their GoFundMe page.
Ramos tested positive not long after the CDC issued a recommendation that pregnant and breastfeeding people should get a COVID-19 vaccination.
Pregnant people are more likely to be severely ill after catching COVID-19, per the CDC, and vaccines are known to greatly reduce the risk of severe disease and death.
When Ramos started showing mild symptoms of the disease, she drove herself to the hospital. Her husband, who was also sick with COVID-19, stayed home to care for their children, who are two and seven years old.
Over the next few weeks, Ramos' symptoms worsened, and she was put on a ventilator, The Post reported. On Sunday, the baby's heart stopped, the outlet said.
The unborn baby was going to be called Jonathan Julius, The Post reported. Ramos had a stillbirth the same day as his heart stopped.
As of Wednesday, Ramos was still in a "very critical" state, the Post reported.
Guevera hopes his story can encourage others to get vaccinated, per NBC Los Angeles. The CDC on August 11 published new guidelines urging pregnant people to get vaccinated, saying it is "safe and effective."
Pregnant people are at higher risk of death and miscarriage if they catch COVID-19.
A large study on US medical records published in August, Insider's Anna Medaris Miller reported, found that pregnant people with COVID-19 are:
- 40% more likely to deliver prematurely.
- more than five times as likely to be admitted to the ICU.
- more than 14 times as likely to need intubation or mechanical ventilation.
- more than 15 times as likely to die.
A CDC analysis found that vaccination in pregnant people does not increase the risk of miscarriage. There is no evidence that vaccines pose a risk to the pregnant person's life, fertility, or the safety of the fetus, per CDC.
"Unfortunately, right now, it's too late for me: I already lost my son," Guevara said, NBC Los Angeles reported, adding that he was going to get vaccinated.
"Wear your mask and get vaccinated as soon as possible. Don't even think about it," he told the Post "People are going to regret it just like me."