Sara Caitlin Vilchez at her baby shower. ELGIN, S.C. - A 31-year-old South Carolina mother died from complications of COVID-19 just weeks after giving birth to her fourth child.
Sara Caitlin Vilchez was diagnosed with COVID-19 38 weeks into her pregnancy on Aug. 14, according to her older sister, Amanda Haynes. "She just felt crummy, kind of like the flu but on steroids," Haynes said.
Vilchez had elected to wait until after giving birth to her daughter to get the COVID-19 vaccine after experiencing several miscarriages in the past, her sister said.
A recent study published in "JAMA" led by the HealthPartners Institute found that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are not linked to an increased risk of miscarriage for pregnant women.