Unvaccinated Man Who Was 'Never Ill' Almost Dies Three Times After Catching COVID

An unvaccinated dad-of-two who narrowly escaped death due to COVID has said he may have bought into online conspiracy theories before falling ill.

U.K. dad Scot Griffiths, 39, first became unwell in August 2021 after attending a public music event.

A few days later, Griffiths said he initially began to feel ill with a headache and soon tested positive for COVID via a lateral flow test. In the week that followed, he had to call an ambulance twice.

"I was sweating and just felt awful—but it got worse and worse," he told U.K. news outlet BirminghamLive.

When Griffiths realized he couldn't breathe properly one morning, his wife took him to hospital where he was treated with antibiotics and oxygen. However, his condition still did not improve.

Griffiths was then moved to intensive care. He said: "I nearly died three times. One time in particular it was very touch-and-go. The consultant phoned my wife and said that I wouldn't survive and she needed to come to hospital immediately."

After a change in medication and a three-week induced coma, Griffiths' condition had improved. He then had to go through days of rehabilitation in order to help him walk again after his lengthy stay in a hospital bed, during which time he lost around 70 pounds.

Griffiths told BirminghamLive he now feels almost completely better after his battle with COVID pneumonia, though he faces a struggle with survivor's guilt and saw people die in the ICU.

He has now had his first vaccine dose and says that his illness has also spurred a lot of his friends to do the same.

"I'm not an anti-vaxxer by any stretch of the imagination. Did I buy into some of the conspiracies online? Maybe," Griffiths said. "My choice at the time was to wait to have it."

He said: "I was never ill, so when people saw how poorly I was I think it hit home."

It is not the first case recently of someone getting the COVID vaccine after falling ill with the virus. Earlier this year, a 26-year-old California woman was released from a half-year hospital stay due to COVID complications. She had initially not had the vaccine because she considered herself to be healthy.

Speaking to news outlet ABC 7 after being discharged from hospital she encouraged people her age to get vaccinated.

Likewise a dad-of-three who fell severely ill with COVID in December 2021 was discharged this month and has since encouraged people to get the vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41.8 percent of people aged 18 or over in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated with a booster dose.