Vancouver Island mom in hospital with COVID-19 regrets not getting vaccinated

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) — As she battles COVID-19 in a hospital bed, a mom on Vancouver Island who did not get vaccinated is sharing her story in hopes it saves a life.

Sharlene Amerl says she didn’t get vaccinated because she was worried about a reaction. It’s a decision she now regrets, four days into her hospital stay because of the virus.

In a social media post, she says both she and her 13-year-old daughter tested positive for COVID earlier this month. Luckilly her 10-year-old son did not.

Initially, she tried to fight it at home, sleeping around 20 hours a day and trying to down all the vitamins and liquids, but she was getting worse each day. Amerl says she called paramedics twice but both times she says they told her the hospitals are full and they’ll probably just turn her away.

Sharlene Amerl

But when she woke up on Monday she says she knew she was in real trouble right away. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t walk, and just wanted to sleep.

When she called 911, Amerl was taken to Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital, where she’s been since.

“This has been by far the worst fight of my life, and I can’t describe how painful, brutal and horrifically cruel Covid is to endure!” she writes in her Facebook post.

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While her condition has improves, she’s still on full time high pressure oxygen and can’t get out of bed as she’s too weak. Once she’s in the clear she says she plans to get her and her family vaccinated.

“I REALLY WISH I chose to get the vaccine in hindsight NOW, but my history of leukaemia as a child made me so incredibly fearful of a reaction to the vaccine. When we are all well enough we will get vaccinated!” she added.

Amerl says she is grateful for the care she’s been receiving.

“I thank all the amazing health care workers and doctors at The Royal Jubilee! With their hard work, dedication and care, and my good reaction to all medications, I avoided the intubation that was talk upon my arrival to emergency on Monday morning.”

Nearly 150 people are in the Intensive Care Units in B.C. as of Thursday, the majority of them unvaccinated. The province says those who are unvaccinated are 25.8 times as likely to be hospitalized after age is taken into consideration.

Of all eligible adults in the province, 87.8 per cent have had their first dose and 80.7 per cent are fully vaccinated.

With files from Nikitha Martins