A new mum who caught coronavirus while she was pregnant and became seriously ill has urged other expectant mums to get jabbed.
Claudia Li, 30, was unconscious and hooked up to a ventilator when medics carried out an emergency C-section as they battled to save her and her baby son a fortnight ago.
The infant, who has not yet been given a name, weighed just 630 grammes (or 1lb 4oz) - less than a bag of sugar - when he was born 16 weeks before his due date.
Sitting next to her son's cot in a neonatal intensive care unit, Claudia told BirminghamLive: "Please, take the vaccine. I didn't. Don't risk yours and your baby's life."
Claudia has been discharged from Birmingham City Hospital but is still breathless and poorly, and faces a long recovery.
Her son is up to 1lb 11oz and getting stronger every day.
Claudia, a project engineer for Severn Trent Water, said she developed Covid symptoms days after going back to work in July, as she and her husband Scott, 29, a secondary school maths teacher, were excitedly planning for the arrival of their first child.
Five days after testing positive her symptoms worsened, as she was left breathless with coughing fits.
Claudia, originally from Hong Kong, saw her GP and within hours was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after her condition deteriorated.
She said: "Because of Covid my husband wasn’t allowed to come with me, I believe it was at that moment it all became so real, (I realised) I was very sick and wasn’t able to get better myself.
"The whole thing happened very quickly. I’m trying to remember the details but when the doctor talked to me I was quite poorly and I was quickly intubated afterwards (put on a ventilator) so my memories are a bit vague.
"What I remember is that the doctor told me they were considering carrying out a Caesarean section to save me and they will do the best for the baby."
Her baby was delivered by C-section on July 20 and he was immediately taken to neonatal intensive care as she continued to battle the virus.
Claudia was discharged earlier this week and her newborn remains on a ventilator because the lungs inside his tiny body are not fully developed.
The mum is grateful to be alive and has praised her husband, brothers Luca and Max Cheung and her parents and friends for their support through the ordeal.
She added: "I am so thankful to my beloved husband for his support for both myself and the baby. Without him and the baby I wouldn’t have been able to recover this speedily."
Claudia decided to share her story because she feels many pregnant women, including herself when she was expecting, have been reluctant to have the vaccine.
She said: "I did get offered a vaccine via letters and text messages but at the time I felt the vaccine could potentially do more harm than good to the baby.
"(I thought) how would the Government know the vaccine is safe? How could they ensure no long-term effects on the baby after it was born? So, at the time I felt the bad outweighed the good, so I didn’t take the vaccine.
"But now, all I say to other pregnant women is 'take your vaccine'. Nothing can be worse than getting admitted to hospital and having to deliver your baby prematurely. Don’t risk yours and your baby’s life."
Only one in six pregnant women are taking up the vaccine offer, according to national estimates.
Medics and scientists say the risks from getting a Covid jab are miniscule, with hundreds of thousands of women in America, the UK and other countries now successfully vaccinated without harm.
Experts have said the dangers from catching Covid-19, especially in the later stages of pregnancy, are potentially life-threatening.
Claudia is one of about 30 pregnant women - all unvaccinated - who have ended up in intensive care in Birmingham after catching Covid-19 in the last three months.
Dr Sarbjit Clare, deputy medical director and an acute medicine consultant for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said cases are continuing to emerge among unvaccinated pregnant women.
Dr Clare said: "We understand women are nervous but it is absolutely vital they come forward for their vaccines.
"I currently have two women in the acute medical ward who are on oxygen and steroids, with Covid on their chests - they will recover but they are very unwell.
"In our intensive care unit we have three pregnant women with Covid-19 who are even more unwell. It is very worrying."
Cllr Paulette Hamilton, city cabinet member for health and wellbeing in Birmingham, said there were mixed messages during the early phase of the rollout.
She added: "We have to do more to help them overcome these concerns. It's also about a lack of trust, particularly in some communities.
"But we have to keep trying as we know the impact can be deadly."
Cllr Hamilton is friends with the family of Sarah Scully, 35, who died from coronavirus shortly after giving birth and never got a chance to hold her newborn son.
What is the advice for pregnant women?
Public Health England says: "The coronavirus vaccines available in the UK have been shown to be effective and to have a good safety profile.
"These vaccines do not contain live coronavirus and cannot infect a pregnant woman or her unborn baby in the womb.
"The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that pregnant women should be offered Covid-19 vaccines at the same time as people of the same age or risk group.
"In the USA, around 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated mainly with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and no safety concerns have been identified.
"Evidence on Covid-19 vaccines is being continuously reviewed by the World Health Organisation and the regulatory bodies in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe.
"Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the preferred vaccines for pregnant women of any age who are coming for their first dose.
"Anyone who has already started vaccination and is offered a second dose whilst pregnant, should have a second dose with the same vaccine unless they had a serious side effect after the first dose."
