SEAL BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A pregnant Seal Beach woman survived a harrowing COVID infection after UCLA doctors took extraordinary measures to save her life and the life of her unborn baby.

In an interview with ABC7, Katie Pederson explained why she waited to get vaccinated and what she wants other expectant moms to know. When Pederson found out she was having a baby, very few pregnant women were getting COVID-19 vaccines.

"I was going to wait until my third trimester until it was more readily available and there was more information. I felt safe in my decision -- until I wasn't," said Pederson. Twenty-four weeks into her pregnancy, she tested positive for COVID. Her symptoms were getting progressively worse when she went to seek care at an Orange County emergency room.
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Doctors said she's one of many pregnant COVID patients to need life support. During pregnancy, a woman's immune system is suppressed so as to not attack her fetus. This makes a pregnant individual highly susceptible to severe illness. "For the majority of patients, they end up having to be delivered while still on the ECMO machine," said Dr. Christina Han, an OB-GYN specialist. She said Pederson was one of the rare circumstances where doctors were able to take her off the heart-lung machine.

Two men have been arrested after police said they found them with a car boot-full of Kentucky fried chicken and over $100,000 in cash as they tried to cross the border into Auckland despite New Zealand’s strict Covid-19 lockdown.

The men were arrested after allegedly trying to flee from police near the Auckland border. When their car was searched, police said they found a large quantity of KFC, as well as the cash and a number of empty ounce bags.

The arrest struck a chord with New Zealanders – especially Aucklanders, who have spent a month in a strict level four lockdown that does not allow restaurants to open or residents to order takeaway food.

In such an environment, fast food can take on the aura of a high-value illicit substance. Last week, a man was charged by police after posting a social media video of crossing the Auckland boundary in search of McDonald’s.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the cover stars of Time magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world, with the accolade revealed on the duke’s 37th birthday.

The US publication released a glossy image of Harry and Meghan, taken at their Montecito home in California. Jose Andres, a friend and chef who runs the charity World Central Kitchen, writes that the couple are “driven” and “compassionate”, and give a “voice to the voiceless”.

“Springing into action is not the easy choice for a young duke and duchess who have been blessed through birth and talent, and burned by fame. It would be much safer to enjoy their good fortune and stay silent,” Andres writes. He adds: “They run towards the struggle.”

Writing that they were “humbled” to be part of Time’s annual top 100 list on their Archewell foundation website, the couple also contributed to the list, honouring the economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first African and first woman to lead the World Trade Organization. “What will it take to vaccinate the world? Unity, cooperation – and leaders like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,” they wrote.