ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A woman who is hospitalized and fighting off COVID-19 has a strong message for whoever is unvaccinated.
Toni Peters, 62, has been at UF Health for 10 days now. In a video published by UF Health, she begs people to get the vaccine.
“I did not get my COVID vaccine; I was careless,” Peters said in the video. “You do not want to get COVID. Please listen to me. If there’s anything I can say to encourage you. Go today. Get your vaccine. Don’t hesitate.”
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See her full video message below:
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UF Health’s Dr. Nila Radhakrishnan said almost every coronavirus patient shares that sentiment of sorrow, remorse and regret.
As physicians, as health care workers, we see the patients, we can hear their regret in that moment,” Radhakrishnan said. “That’s not something that maybe everyone in the lay public can see.”
That is, until people like Peters get the courage to share their story to keep someone else from suffering like she is.
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“Don’t be careless, don’t be stupid,” she said. “I mean those are harsh words but your life can depend on it.”
Radhakrishnan said she pleads with all her coronavirus patients to get the vaccine once they are discharged.
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