Twitter John Cody and Candice Woodcock Cody of 'Survivor: Blood vs Water'
Last week, Survivor couple Candice Woodcock Cody and John Cody revealed that they are 35 weeks along with their third child. They are due in mid-January and are waiting to be surprised as to the sex of the baby.
But what drew Twitter users’ ire is the fact that Woodcock Cody posted a photo of herself receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. While most followers simply offered congratulations, some expressed concern about a pregnant woman getting vaccinated and others became downright abusive about it. Here’s what you need to know.
Woodcock Was Told She Was a Bad Mother for Getting The Vaccine
Got my #CovidVaccine today at 35 wks pregnant. Will pass antibodies to baby. Grateful to be part of ending the pandemic. To those waiting: have patience. ❤️ To those who are unsure: read primary sources, ask, & don’t give into fear. @JPCodyMD @VHC_Hospital
Many responses were positive, including one Twitter user who wrote, “I have my appt tomorrow for a vaccine I’m 23 weeks pregnant and a Registered Nurse ! Thank you for your post it makes me feel better about my decision to get vaccinated.”
Another wrote, “You’re incredibly brave. Not just for working in your job for months already, but for being among the first to try a new vaccine, and for being willing to show it on this platform. #staystrong #itsyourdecision.”
But many people blasted the couple for either endangering their unborn child or being bribed to act like there is a vaccine when there isn’t one, perpetuating conspiracy theories about the vaccine being fake. The reason they thought the photo was faked was because of the angle of the safety needle cap — however, the cap was in the right place. When a shot is being administered, it is supposed to be off to the side at a right angle.
“They are pieces of Filth!!! The needle is not in her arm! Just look closely! This is Propaganda & should be held LIABLE! Criminal & Civil. It’s just unbelievable! Data is for ALL who can read. MD = Drug Dealer NOT a healer! They never ‘cured’ even the common cold/Flu. Makes me [angry emoji],” wrote one user.
Another wrote that she “prays this is fake,” and a third wrote, “The cap is still on. Just like all the others. They are clearly telling you there isn’t gonna be a vaccine. Wake up for f*** sake.”
For the record, according to the Center for Disease Control, there are two approved and recommended vaccines, one from Pfizer-BioNTech and one from Moderna. There are two others that are in their clinical trial phase, one from AstraZeneca and one from Janssen.
Woodcock Cody and Her Husband Are Both Doctors and They Did Their Research
In response to some very heated and triggered people out there, please feel free to read the following, and know that I will absolutely not respond to or regard any hateful or disrespectful discourse about @CandiceCodyMD (or me). 1/x
Woodcock Cody is an anesthesiologist, which one commenter thought meant she wasn’t a medical doctor, but she is — that is a specialty and she practices at the Virginia Health Center in McLean, Virginia. Cody is former Army physician and current orthopedic surgeon at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Cody responded with a Twitter thread explaining how both the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists feel that even though there haven’t been studies done on pregnant women, the benefits of the vaccine outweigh potential risks and are unlikely to negatively affect pregnant women.
In a joint statement made with several other pregnancy and fertility organizations, the ASRM and ACOG wrote, “It is especially important that certain eligible patient populations, including pregnant women, consult with their trusted physician when considering whether to take the vaccine.”
Basically, it is up to the patient and their doctor about choosing whether to vaccinate. The CDC says that the patient and healthcare provider should consider the likelihood of the patient’s exposure and risks the virus would pose to their fetus. While the FDA cannot officially recommend the vaccine to pregnant women because there is a lack of data, the CDC believes that because the vaccine contains no active virus, it is “unlikely to pose a risk” to pregnant women.
For the Codys, they feel that based on Woodcock Cody’s level of risk as a healthcare worker, it was necessary that she be vaccinated.
Cody wrote, “Recently, ACOG and the @ReprodMed recommended that the COVID vaccine be offered to pregnant and lactating women, based on their individual level of risk … The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain NO active virus, and they did not rely on any aborted fetal tissue for viral culture or reproduction like some have inaccurately suggested. … No, we are not paid actors. Yes this is real. No it is not propaganda. We are both physicians that make $0 from pharma. As a full time anesthesiologist, @CandiceCodyMD must take risks with her health when she cares for COVID patients. It is a very high risk specialty. … At 35 weeks, the baby is nearly full term with only growth and fat production, and some lung maturation left to occur. Some of you Twitter scientists need to review your embryology a little bit before you spit fire at people that deeply understand this process.”
There is no word yet on when Survivor will be back on the air. There is talk about the production team filming three seasons this spring so that they can air one in the summer of 2021, one in the fall and then one in the spring of 2022.
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