In the UK, families of the unvaccinated, now facing illness and death, urge others to listen and reconsider vaccine hesitancy.
As the UK faces a growing number of hospitalizations due to Covid-19, the majority of those critically ill are unvaccinated, and many are spending their final days filled with deep regret. Their loved ones are speaking out, hoping their stories will convince others to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
Matt Wynter, a 42-year-old music agent from Leek, Staffordshire, was shocked to see his best friend, Marcus Birks, on TV while working out in his local gym. Birks, a performer with the dance group Cappella, appeared pale and gasping for breath. Speaking from his ICU bed at Royal Stoke University Hospital, Birks admitted that he had been wrong about Covid-19 and regretfully confessed that his refusal to get vaccinated had been a mistake.
Birks, who had previously dismissed the vaccine as rushed and unnecessary, revealed that he had been swayed by anti-vaccine rhetoric. Despite being a fitness enthusiast who believed his healthy lifestyle would protect him, he found himself fighting for his life. “If you haven’t been ill, you don’t think you’re going to get ill,” Birks said during the interview, urging his family and others to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Wynter, watching from home, felt a sense of pride for his friend’s honesty. “It takes a lot of balls to stand up there and admit that maybe you made the wrong decision,” he said. He texted Birks immediately, telling him, “I’m really proud of you mate, you’re a hero.” Birks’ reply was simple: “Thanks man, that was mad.”
As Birks’ story spreads, his loved ones are hoping it will be a wake-up call for those who remain hesitant about the vaccine, urging them to act before it’s too late.
