46 Stories about People Who Regret Not Getting the Vaccine
7 min readAug 10, 2021
The evidence is clear: You’re far more likely to regret *not* getting the vaccine than getting it.
If you honestly doubt that, the best way I know to address it is to show you the growing number of stories about people who deeply regret their decision not to be vaccinated.
So here are 46 articles about some of those people.
They talk about falling for misinformation, about waiting until it was too late, about how their decision has impacted their family.
In my view, if you genuinely believe that you simply don’t need to get the vaccine because you’re typically healthy, you owe it to yourself to at least check your beliefs against what you see below.
“But Jeff, why should I believe anything you say?”
Don’t. Read the stories.
“But Jeff, those people are all lying!”
Ok, but just know that when people accuse you of believing a conspiracy theory, this is why.
It’s because — in the face of an immense number of medical professionals and Covid patients all saying the same thing — you’re not willing to consider the possibility that you may have been misled by other sources.
For everyone else, please share this and let’s see if we can reach a few people. It might not work, but we should at least try.
Sen. Jeff Jackson
- “Severely ill COVID-19 patients regret not getting vaccine, Polk County doctor says” — WFLA
https://www.wfla.com/news/polk-county/severely-ill-covid-19-patients-regret-not-getting-vaccine-polk-county-doctor-says/ - “Take It From Them: Americans Hospitalized With Covid Regret Not Getting the Vaccine” — Rolling Stone
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/covid-hospitalizations-unvaccinated-regret-1206032/ - “They spurned the vaccine. Now they want you to know they regret it.” — NYTimes
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/30/us/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-regret.html - “Pastor Who Nearly Died From COVID Regrets Not Getting Vaccinated: ‘I Was Wrong’” — Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/pastor-danny-reeves-nearly-died-covid-regrets-not-getting-vaccinated-wrong-texas-phil-valentine-1613353 - “It’s like a hammer in my head all the time: ‘Why didn’t you have the vaccine? You had all the chances, the opportunities, the appointments, the letters — everything.’” — Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/vaccine-regret-hospitalization-encouraging-americans-to-get-vaccinated-2021-7 - “Unvaccinated hospitalized patients say they regret not getting shot” — NBC
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/unvaccinated-hospitalized-patients-say-they-regret-not-getting-shot-n1273342 - “It took watching my son die and me suffering the effects of COVID for us to realize we need the vaccine.” — Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/mother-man-28-died-covid-19-regrets-not-getting-vaccine-2021-7 - “Over and over, the same refrain from people sick with covid: I wish I’d gotten the vaccine” — Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/02/over-over-same-refrain-people-sick-with-covid-i-wish-id-gotten-vaccine/ - “A British ICU doctor described seeing her patients regret not getting vaccinated: ‘You can see it dawn on them’” — Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/icu-doctor-covid-19-patients-regret-not-being-vaccinated-2021-7 - “High Point woman hospitalized with COVID-19 regrets not getting vaccinated” — WXII12
https://www.wxii12.com/article/high-point-covid19-patient-vaccine-regret/37146769# - “Coronavirus doctor’s diary: Unvaccinated patients with many regrets” — BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-57866661 - “‘I could have prevented this,’ Virginia man says in videos showing his COVID decline” — Durham Herald Sun
https://www.heraldsun.com/news/coronavirus/article253247308.html - “After contracting COVID-19, these two Arkansans regret not getting vaccinated” — THV11
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/two-arkansans-regret-not-getting-vaccine-contracting-covid-19/91-b3d2291a-f0ce-49d5-8a02-b53b632f6c10 - “Unvaccinated Nebraskan says she regrets not getting her COVID vaccine after trip to ICU” — ABC8
https://www.klkntv.com/unvaccinated-nebraskan-says-she-regrets-not-getting-her-covid-vaccine-after-trip-to-icu/ - “Missouri man, 26, regrets not getting vaccinated after COVID-19 battle” — ABC7
https://www.mysuncoast.com/2021/07/26/missouri-man-26-regrets-not-getting-vaccinated-after-covid-19-battle/ - “Former anti-vaxxer in Northern California urges vaccinations after entire family struck with COVID-19” — East Bay Times
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/08/03/former-anti-vaxxer-in-humboldt-county-urges-vaccinations-after-severe-case-of-covid-19/ - “‘I regret that I didn’t get vaccinated’: Ohio woman urges people to get COVID vaccine after spending 11 days in coma” — WBNS10
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/i-regret-that-i-didnt-get-vaccinated-ohio-woman-who-spent-11-days-in-coma-battling-covid-19-urges-people-to-get-their-shot/530-792b87c6-06ee-422f-b518-8a9cbbf05301 - Staff at a Florida hospital say they are hearing panic, fear and regret from unvaccinated Covid-19 patients — CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/us/florida-coronavirus-hospital-surge/index.html - “‘No one should have to go through this’: Unvaccinated family regrets not getting a shot” — First Coast News (FCN
https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/unvaccinated-family-regrets-not-getting-shot/77-fc26c361-8d7b-417c-92e1-3475dda5777f - “‘I am furious with myself’: Unvaccinated Covid patient describes the exhausting illness” — CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/29/health/louisiana-covid-19-hotspot/index.html - “‘It will certainly be with me forever,’ Fayetteville doctor shares grim insight into COVID-19 ward” — 5 News Online
https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/arkansas-covid-19-surge-doctor-shares-grim-message/527-819e2b08-ab26-45b0-9c14-d3279d84eacc - “I will always regret that I listened to the misinformation being put out there,” Greene said. “They’re creating fear.” — Baltimore Sun
https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/ct-aud-nw-nyt-covid-vaccine-hesitancy-regret-20210731-yto53ol4trgopfrszz24hclkre-story.html - “After teen daughter hospitalized with Covid, mom regrets saying no to vaccine” — NBC
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/after-teen-daughter-hospitalized-covid-mom-regrets-saying-no-vaccine-n1274227 - “I’ve seen regret, it’s very disheartening to see someone you know could prevent this from happening. They are going through this and they’re scared,” — MyNBC15
https://mynbc15.com/news/coronavirus/springhill-doctor-ive-seen-regret-from-hospitalized-unvaccinated-covid-patients - ‘COVID is nasty’: Missouri couple regrets skipping vaccine after COVID-19 hospitalization — FOX59
https://fox59.com/news/coronavirus/covid-is-nasty-missouri-couple-regrets-skipping-vaccine-after-covid-19-hospitalization/ - “Florida doctor says many hospitalized COVID-19 patients regret not getting vaccine” — WKMG
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/07/27/florida-doctor-says-many-hospitalized-covid-19-patients-regret-not-getting-vaccine/ - “Talk radio host hospitalized with COVID regrets vaccine hesitancy, brother says” — PBS
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/talk-radio-host-hospitalized-with-covid-regrets-vaccine-hesitancy-brother-says - “The nurses said they’ve also heard a lot of regret from patients who didn’t think the virus was real.” — Sun Herald
https://www.sunherald.com/news/coronavirus/article253127003.html - “North Dakota man regretted not getting the vaccine before dying from COVID-19” — WSVN
https://wsvn.com/news/north-dakota-man-regretted-not-getting-the-vaccine-before-dying-from-covid-19/ - ““I do regret waiting, and I had several conversations with several people, and I was like, ‘I just need to see how this is going to turn out,’” she said. “Just being in that situation was very scary, so would just suggest that everyone just go out and get vaccinated.”” — Local10
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/27/waiting-game-is-over-as-south-floridians-finally-decide-to-get-covid-vaccines/ - “Arkansas doctor: Patients have told me they wish they got COVID-19 vaccine” — The Hill
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/563249-arkansas-doctor-says-covid-19-patients-tell-him-they-wish-theyd-gotten - “Some of our chaplains have discussed with people the reasons why they didn’t take the vaccine and express remorse, or regret, saying that if they knew then what they knew now that they would’ve taken the vaccine,” Ajoko said. “Seeing the impact that it has on them and their families, it made a lot of them change their minds and they decided to take it.” — CruxNow
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/08/catholic-hospital-in-louisiana-copes-with-covid-surge/ - “Unvaccinated doctor sends warning to others after catching delta variant” — KKTV
https://www.kktv.com/2021/07/21/unvaccinated-doctor-sends-warning-others-after-catching-delta-variant/ - “A 24-year-old man who had a double lung transplant after getting COVID-19 said he regretted not getting the vaccine” — Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/men-who-had-covid-19-lung-transplants-urge-vaccinations-2021-7 - “COVID-19 patients at Lakeland Regional regret not getting vaccinated” — ABCactionnews
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-polk/covid-19-patients-at-lakeland-regional-regret-not-getting-vaccinated - ‘I feel foolish:’ Florida mom shares regret about not getting COVID-19 vaccine sooner -WKMG
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2021/07/23/i-feel-foolish-florida-mom-shares-regret-about-not-getting-covid-19-vaccine-sooner/ - “Severely sick COVID-19 patients express regret for not getting vaccine, rural Oklahoma doctor says” — KOCO5
https://www.koco.com/article/severely-sick-covid-19-patients-express-regret-for-not-getting-vaccine-rural-oklahoma-doctor-says/37147819 - “ICU Patient, Former ‘Anti-Vaxxer’ Regrets Turning Down Vaccine: ‘I Believed in the Hoopla’” — Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/icu-patient-former-anti-vaxxer-regrets-turning-down-vaccine-i-believed-hoopla-1614281 - “North Texas Father Urges Others to Get Vaccinated After His Fight with COVID” — NBCDFW
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-father-urges-others-to-get-vaccinated-after-his-fight-with-covid/2697296/ - “Why this former triathlete, family practitioner regrets his decision to not get vaccinated” — KSL
https://www.ksl.com/article/50203501/why-this-former-triathlete-family-practitioner-regrets-his-decision-to-not-get-vaccinated - “Hospitalized COVID-19 patient shares dangers of not getting vaccinated” — WPTV
https://www.wptv.com/coronavirus/hospitalized-covid-19-patient-shares-dangers-of-not-getting-vaccinated - “COVID patients show regret about masks, vaccines as hospitals fill up” — Local10
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/22/patients-show-regret-about-masks-vaccines-as-covid-hospital-wings-fill-up/ - “Unvaccinated dad records days of regret in hospital — and makes heartbreaking request for daughter’s wedding in case he dies” — CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/06/health/coronavirus-virginia-travis-campbell-vaccine-regret/index.html - “COVID-19 patients regret not getting the vaccine after being hospitalized” — NewsWest9
https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/patients-regret-not-getting-vaccine/513-722d30df-77d2-42d6-8f2c-0fa179486729 - “San Antonio woman lives to regret not being vaccinated with COVID-19 shot, warns others” — KSAT
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/08/05/san-antonio-woman-lives-to-regret-not-being-vaccinated-with-covid-19-shot-warns-others/ - ‘It’s too late’: Alabama doctor shares final moments of Covid patients, urges vaccination — NBC
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/it-s-too-late-alabama-doctor-shares-final-moments-covid-n1274659
