Jessica Martin wishes the world didn’t know her fiancé’s name. She wishes she didn’t have to share with NBC that they had five children together, that he was saved in her phone contacts as “My Love,” and that what they thought was a case of sun poisoning turned out to be the initial signs of COVID-19. She wishes she wasn’t recounting to The Washington Post, “The end was agonizing. It was just like something out of a movie… with shouts of ‘He’s coding!’ and frantic people rushing in with paddles, calling for scalpels, checking pulses, and desperately performing chest compressions. ‘As a bystander, there’s no escaping. You have to remain in the background and stay out of their way.’” She wishes she didn’t feel compelled to do interview after interview, pleading: Get vaccinated against COVID.
That was the message her fiancé, Jason, sent her early in his battle: “I should have gotten the damn vaccine.” Now, their five children are left without their father. They hadn’t been against vaccination; they simply wanted to wait a year to assess possible side effects. Now, she has a clear message for the public: “I would choose a negative reaction to the vaccine over having to bury my husband. I would take that any day.”
As the threat from the Delta variant escalates, COVID-19 survivors and grieving families are beginning to speak out. Hospital beds are filling up, and case numbers are climbing to levels not seen since last summer, with the vast majority of those cases among the unvaccinated. These voices echo Jessica’s: Get vaccinated against COVID.
Myth: Young and Healthy Individuals Don’t Need a COVID Vaccine
Twenty-one-year-old Caleb Smith and his 19-year-old wife, Mia, from Mississippi, are urging their peers to get vaccinated. Mia notes that Caleb was rarely ill: “I’d only seen him with a stuffy or runny nose, but that was the extent of it.” However, after contracting COVID-19 just two months after their wedding, Caleb spent six days in the hospital, including time on a ventilator.
“I’ve always taken breathing for granted until I was on that ventilator,” he said. “That was the frightening part, and at that moment, I thought the vaccine might not be such a bad idea.” His wife was terrified when doctors couldn’t guarantee Caleb’s survival. Now, they both advocate for vaccination: “It would be foolish not to get vaccinated,” he said.
Their Concerns About Side Effects — And Their Regrets
Anna Rodriguez of High Point, North Carolina, told WFMY News, “You need the COVID vaccine, or you’re risking your health… It’s essential.” After being diagnosed with COVID-19, the 39-year-old spent five days in the hospital, and while speaking still hurts, she feels compelled to spread the message: get the vaccine. Although she wasn’t intubated, her oxygen levels dropped dangerously low with even minor exertion. “I wish I could go back and tell myself to get the vaccine, that it’s safe… but I was just so anxious about it being new. It is safe, and it’s necessary. What isn’t safe is what I just endured after contracting COVID-19.”
Forty-nine-year-old Lisa Carter from Miramar, Florida, also urges vaccination. She battled COVID-19 for thirteen days and faced a precarious 50-50 chance of survival. Despite her concerns about blood clots due to underlying conditions, she ended up with both COVID and blood clots. Her treatment included blood thinners, infusions, and monoclonal antibodies. “I was worried about side effects from the vaccine,” she admitted. “I wanted to see how it played out before getting vaccinated, and it’s ironic that I was concerned about blood clots, yet I ended up with them and COVID.”
He Ridiculed the COVID Vaccine — And Didn’t Survive
Twenty-five-year-old Mark Thompson from Los Angeles passed away from COVID-19 after months of mocking the vaccine on social media. Just six weeks before his death, he tweeted, “I’ve got 99 problems, but a vax ain’t one.” On July 8, he wrote, “Biden’s door-to-door vaccine ‘surveyors’ should be called JaCOVID Witnesses. #keepmovingdork.”
He attended a local church where Pastor James Carter described him as “one of the kindest individuals you could meet.” Tragically, on the topic of the COVID vaccine, he was profoundly mistaken. Had he chosen to receive that simple shot, he might still be alive today; statistics show that only 0.004% of vaccinated individuals become ill enough to require hospitalization, and less than 0.001% of vaccinated people have died from COVID.
Let’s Discuss COVID Vaccine Odds
While it may seem alarming to state that 1,263 vaccinated individuals have died from COVID-19, this figure comes from 163 million vaccinated Americans. Those are lottery-like odds. Despite these statistics and personal accounts, a Washington Post-ABC News poll earlier in the summer indicated that 29% of Americans were “unlikely to get vaccinated.”
We understand that no vaccine is 100% effective. However, as the Kaiser Family Foundation notes, the CDC only tracks breakthrough infections that lead to hospitalization or death. They ceased monitoring all breakthrough COVID cases on May 1. In states that continued tracking data on breakthrough cases for all fully vaccinated residents, rates varied from 4% of all COVID cases (Arizona) to 0.2% (Connecticut and New Jersey). Breakthrough cases are uncommon, and hospitalizations and deaths from COVID are predominantly occurring among the unvaccinated.
Everyone must heed the stories of those who have lost loved ones and those who have survived. As the more infectious Delta variant spreads, as schools reopen, and as complacency regarding distancing and hygiene increases, it is vital for everyone to get vaccinated. Protect your life and the lives of others. Get your COVID vaccine, and do it now.
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Summary:
This article highlights the tragic consequences of mocking the COVID-19 vaccine, featuring stories of individuals who regret not getting vaccinated after battling the virus. It emphasizes the importance of vaccination, particularly in light of the rising Delta variant and the overwhelming number of cases among the unvaccinated. Personal accounts from survivors and loved ones underscore the urgent message: get vaccinated to protect yourself and others.