Woman wishes she could go back in time and get COVID-19 vaccine: ‘I didn’t think it would be this bad’

A 39-year-old North Carolina woman regrets waiting to get the coronavirus vaccine after she was hospitalized with a severe infection.

Eketrina Wilson thought her age would protect her from COVID-19, but she ended up in the intensive care unit and spent five days in the hospital after she was diagnosed July 17, reported the Winston-Salem Journal.

"I didn't think it would be this bad," Wilson said. "I thought it would be simple, and it's not."

Wilson's condition worsened past the point where some medications can be used to treat COVID-19, and doctors struggled to get her to the point where drawing a breath didn't cause pain.

"[Her oxygen levels dropped] even when going to the bathroom or talking continuously, more than a few sentences," said Dr. Kinchit Shah, one of the doctors who treated her. "We had a hard time getting her comfortable using oxygen and able to function."

Now that she's well enough to go home, Wilson urged others to learn from her experience.

"I was scared to get vaccinated," Wilson said. "It's not scary, it's just like the flu shot. You have to have it or you're going to get sick."