A nursing instructor in Missouri who decided not to get vaccinated against covid is now urging everyone to take the shot after she was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator.
Christy Henry, 56 a former nurse who now works as a nursing instructor, told CNN that when the vaccines were made available in the spring, she and her family opted not to get vaccinated because they live in a rural area, always wear masks in public and rarely comes in contact with people. They thought their risk of exposure was low.
About three weeks ago Henry said she started to feel sick. She was eventually hospitalized and intubated for at least two days. Her husband, Lonnie also tested positive and is currently on a ventilator. One of the couple’s six children also contracted the virus but was not hospitalized.
“Never in a million years do you think it’s going to happen to you,” she told CNN from her hospital bed. “The doctor told me twice yesterday that I should not be alive.”
“Covid-19 is extremely, extremely serious,” she added. “I’m going to tell everybody, everybody I know and I love that you need to get vaccinated.”
Covid-19 cases in Missouri have risen about 18% in the last two weeks, and hospitalizations are up sharply since May due to the the Delta variant which is more transmissible and the state’s low vaccination rate.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 41 percent of Missourians are fully vaccinated while 47 percent have received one dose.
In an effort to increase vaccination rates in the state Gov. Mike Parson (R) announced plans to give people that are vaccinated a shot at winning $10,000.
