At eight-months pregnant, Sandra Cantelou hardly left the house in order to avoid catching the COVID-19 virus. Yet despite her precautions, she wound up “doubly” infected — testing positive for two different strains of the coronavirus, the Brazilian and South African variants, at the same time.
The rare case of contracting multiple variants simultaneously, called “co-infection” by scientists, and Cantelou’s pregnancy risks, were further compounded when her husband came down with symptoms too.
Testing showed that his COVID case was actually the English variant, meaning that the two expecting parents had managed to catch three different coronavirus variants.
Cantelou told Le Démocrate Vernonnais that she was afraid when she got her double positive test, as pregnant women are at a greater risk of hospitalization than their non-pregnant counterparts.
“I had coughing fits that could cause contractions, but overall I was well monitored and did not have any serious symptoms.”
Thankfully, both parents are healthy now, awaiting the imminent birth of their French baby, already with a very international backstory.
