Vaccine appeal to pregnant women after mum dies of Covid

Saiqa Parveen was taken to hospital suffering from Covid-19 in September

The family of a woman who died with Covid before getting the chance to hold her newborn daughter have urged pregnant women to get vaccinated.

The brother of 37-year-old Saiqa Parveen, from Birmingham, said she had put off getting the jab until after her child was born.

Qayoum Mughal said the family had "lost everything".

"If she had the vaccine she might have had a chance of surviving," he said.

Mrs Parveen was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties in September and after being treated with oxygen, was put on a ventilator.

She was eight months pregnant when doctors delivered her child by emergency caesarean section. She died on 1 November.

'Spare the pain'

Mr Mughal said his sister had been sent a letter offering her a vaccine but she told her family: "It's too late now, when I've had my baby I will get my vaccine."

"But she didn't get the chance," he said.

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She suffered further complications, including sepsis, as her condition worsened in hospital.

Mr Mughal described his sister as a "lady of principle", but said: "For the sake of God and the sake of your loved ones, please get vaccinated."

He urged people to "spare the pain of your loved ones".

A funeral for Mrs Parveen is due to take place on 8 November.

Covid vaccines are recommended for pregnant women by the government, the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) and Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

In a letter to midwives, obstetricians and GP practices in July, chief midwife for England Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent said all healthcare professionals have "a responsibility to proactively encourage pregnant women" to get vaccinated.

Prof Lucy Chappell, the chief scientific advisor for the Department of Health and Social Care, said: "Overwhelmingly our data on safety of the vaccines in pregnancy is very positive."

She said the government was advising pregnant women in the UK get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and added: "If you can get vaccinated it is never too late in pregnancy."

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