Phoenix baby tested positive for COVID-19, even with vaccinated parents

By CNN Newsource

Published June 29, 2021 2:50 PM

By BRIANA WHITNEY

PHOENIX, Arizona (KPHO, KTVK) — Parents: You may be vaccinated, but even if you test negative, your young children and babies could get very sick and sometimes it’s difficult to tell if it’s COVID-19 or not.

The Novak family in Phoenix said they have been very careful this entire year; mom and dad got vaccinated as soon as they could. They’ve also been careful with their 3-year-old daughter and baby son. But then, they got hit with news last week that shocked them: Baby Walter had tested positive for COVID-19.

Right now, Will Novak waves to his son behind a window in their guest house. It’s not how he wants to see his son right now, but it became their reality last week. They thought the baby was fussing from teething. But things quickly changed. “He’s like the chillest baby in the world. So, if he’s fussing it’s usually for a good reason,” Novak said.

Baby Walter and Novak’s wife Veronica had gone to her ladies book club where all members are vaccinated. She brought Walter because he’s breastfeeding. It’s one of the safest activities they could do.

“We’ve been taking COVID very seriously. Wearing masks, trying to eliminate going outside, so on and so forth,” Novak said.

But the next day one of the book club members called; even though she was vaccinated she ended up testing positive for COVID-19. So, the Novak family went to get tested too and everyone was negative. Everyone except baby Walter. He was positive. “He’s just gotten worse and worse. He’s coughing a ton, very irritable, snotty, glassy-eyed, having a hard time sleeping,” Novak said.

Now the family is separated: Will and their daughter are in the main house. Baby Walter and mom are in the guest house. And Will’s mother-in-law is at a friend’s house since she’s in her 70s with underlying health conditions.

Even though Veronica is vaccinated, she just tested positive too after quarantining with the baby and is fairly sick with the typical COVID-19 symptoms.

Novak said they’re getting through this hurdle the best they can, and hopes this shows others how important the vaccines are. “The more all of us adults get it, the better chance we have of reducing spreading it to our kids,” he said.

Novak and his daughter are taking COVID tests every other day; so far they’ve both stayed negative.

To other parents they say if your baby or young child seems a little off or sick, it’s good to get them tested just to know, since in this case Baby Walter contracted COVID from all vaccinated people.

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