Coronavirus Commentary: Why My Body, My Choice means My Choice, My Death

Despite Hedi Green's protests that "The Rock" is not anti-vaccination - "Labelling the paper “anti vax” is also unfair, unbalanced and inaccurate, it is pretty clear that it is. As well as the inside content, which is basically just "The Light", the localised front and back pages are two. The back pages have two photos of people saying "Why I am not having the vaccine", and tags such as "My Family, My Life" or "My Body, My Life".

It is the scaremongering of publications such as this which lead to people dying of Covid because they bought into the doubts raised, and later their family regret that. As a counter to "My Body, My Choice", here are a few stories of where that meant "My Choice, My Death", in one case, and near death in others, or the shadow of Long Covid in what were fit, young, healthy adults.

While accredited media are regulated, binding them to a series of ethical standards, The Rock and its parent paper, The Light, are not. Nevertheless, despite fine print disclaimers, it appears in the form of a newspaper, and would be accepted by the public as such.

It would be interesting to know Hedi Green would endorse vaccination or whether any of the other real housewives of Jersey featured would do so. She is remarkably coy about that in her defense of "The Rock".

https://inews.co.uk/news/health/covid-cases-england-scotland-wales-northern-ireland-unvaccinated-young-hospital-1159968

Almost two thirds of people under 50 who died in England with the Delta variant were not vaccinated against the virus, the latest figures show. Professor Chris Whitty said it was “stark” that the majority of coronavirus patients had not had a jab. He added that he had spent four weeks working on a Covid-19 ward and many there “regret delaying” their vaccination.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-08-23/its-debilitating-please-get-vaccinated-young-adults-share-covid-experiences

Three young adults have shared their stories of the "debilitating" impacts of Covid-19 on their lives, as they urged others to get vaccinated. Two women said they are still living with extreme fatigue months after testing positive for the virus, and another healthy gym-goer revealed he thought he would die when he was hospitalised. Seven months on from contracting coronavirus, Megan Higgins, 25, and Ella Harwood, 23, who were previously healthy and active, shared their experiences in a bid to encourage vaccine uptake. 

Regular gym-goer Quincy Dwamena, 31, delayed getting the vaccine and became seriously ill with Covid. The support worker from east London, who described himself as a "healthy young guy" said: “I ended up being hospitalised and thought I was going to die. “My advice is to get the vaccine: don’t put yourself and others at risk, I wish I’d got mine as soon as it was offered.”

People aged 16 to 29 are most likely to get long Covid, but the vaccine uptake in this age group is lower than others, particularly in London, Public Health England figures reveal.

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-07-30/mum-who-nearly-lost-life-to-covid-urges-pregnant-women-to-get-vaccine

A mother who chose not to get the vaccine while pregnant said she nearly lost her life to Covid-19 and is urging other pregnant mums to get jabbed. Zoey Edwards, 32, from Preston, did not have the coronavirus vaccine while she was pregnant because she was hesitant about the effects it would have on her and her baby. But she said she regretted her decision when she was in intensive care and her doctor talked about the possibility of putting her into a coma.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said Covid-19 vaccines do not contain ingredients known to be harmful to pregnant women or developing babies.

Ms Edwards believes she contracted Covid-19 from her son, who was sent home from school for being unwell. A few days later, on June 14, she began developing symptoms. The 32-year-old was admitted to intensive care at Royal Preston Hospital on June 25 at just 35 weeks into her pregnancy. Doctors performed an emergency caesarean the same night to save the lives of her and her baby.

Ms Edwards, who is now at home after leaving hospital on July 7, told ITV News: "Basically, I've just nearly lost my life because of Covid and I wouldn't be sat here now and neither would my baby. Speaking about nearly being put in a coma, Ms Edwards broke down and said she believes if it had happened, she "wouldn't have come out".

https://www.itv.com/news/2021-08-23/covid-35-unvaccinated-and-in-a-coffin-mother-dies-hours-after-giving-birth

A husband whose unvaccinated wife died from Covid-19 shortly after she gave birth to her baby daughter is urging others not to delay getting the vaccine. Samantha Willis, 35, from Derry in Northern Ireland, died last Friday in Altnagelvin Hospital, before she was able to meet or even hold her newborn baby girl Eviegrace. The mother-of-four was not vaccinated and her grieving husband Josh Willis is now urging others to get their jabs so they do not have to go through what he went through.

Urging others to get jabbed, Mr Willis wrote on Twitter: "I spent hrs in ICU on Thur/Friday with my  wife who passed away.

"It’s real, the numbers are real. Get your vaccine so you or your family don’t have to go through what I have had to. As I write this I am laying bside her, she is 35, unvaccinated and in a coffin. Let that sink in!"

In July, it was found that 99% of pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid-19 were unvaccinated.