This unvaccinated Texas pastor almost died of COVID — now he's trying to get his flock vaccinated

On Monday, NPR profiled Pastor Danny Reeves, who heads up the First Baptist church of Corsicana, Texas — and who had no intention of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 until he nearly died of the virus.

"Last month, Pastor Danny Reeves was fighting for his life in the intensive care unit at Dallas' Baylor University Medical Center. He had COVID-19, and he wasn't vaccinated," reported Nina Kravinsky. "Now, the senior pastor at First Baptist Corsicana in north central Texas regrets not getting the shot earlier, and he plans to tell his congregants his story on Sunday when he returns to the pulpit."

Speaking to NPR, Reeves said that he was "falsely and erroneously overconfident," and that he mistakenly believed if he did get COVID, it would "just be a nothing issue."

Now, on the other hand, he plans to explain to his congregants the importance of being vaccinated: "I'm going to talk straight to our people about who we can and should be as God's people and what it really means to love our neighbor."

A number of unvaccinated people have come forward to express their regrets after serious illness. Some have not lived to tell their stories, including a number of right-wing walk radio hosts like Nashville's Phil Valentine and Daytona Beach, Florida's self-described "Mr. Anti-Vax" Marc Bernier.