Shawn Johnson tests positive for COVID-19 during pregnancy
Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson, who recently announced she is pregnant with her second child, revealed Sunday that she has tested positive for COVID-19.
Johnson, also mom to 15-month-old daughter, Drew Hazel, shared in a note posted on her Instagram stories that she had tested positive, admitting the diagnosis made her "nervous."
Explaining more about why the positive result made her nervous, Johnson wrote on Instagram, "1: I don't want to get my family sick. 2: I have asthma and have had it my entire life so this scares me a little extra. 3: had a very close family member fight for his life last month while battling Covid so it's a serious topic of concern/hits home in our household."
Johnson also wrote that her body is "just exhausted" after also spending the past two weeks caring for Drew as she battled RSV, a respiratory virus.
"So far, I have a cough, terrible sore throat and headache. Fatigue for sure but... that's pregnancy haha," Johnson wrote about her own symptoms.
Johnson and her husband, Andrew East, just announced their pregnancy last month.
In the announcement video shared on the couple's YouTube page, East recalled how he tested positive for COVID-19 just days after finding out Johnson was pregnant.
"We were in this time of celebration and we wanted to tell her parents and our friends, but then I ended up having to self-isolate," he said, calling it "not the ideal situation."
In announcing her own COVID-19 diagnosis, Johnson said she too is isolating and shared a message for other people, telling them to "wash your hands."
"Not looking for any kind of pitty [sic] party. Just a reminder to take care of yourself. Drink an extra water tonight and wash your hands," she wrote.
Even now, nearly one year into the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., many questions remain about how pregnant people are impacted by COVID-19.
The CDC has shared data showing that pregnant people infected with COVID-19 are at an increased risk for "intensive care unit admission, invasive ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and death," compared to nonpregnant people.
Health experts say pregnant people need to continue to remain on high alert when it comes to COVID-19 by following safety protocols, including face mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing.
