Photo: cnnA mother of five in Vacaville, Calif., came close to dying after being infected with COVID-19 and spending 65 days in a coma last year.Now, Andrea Arriaga Borges — who said she was unvaccinated when she fell ill — is speaking out about how her experience changed her opinion on receiving the shots.Borges, 48, spoke toCNNthis week to reflect on her experience, recounting her time in the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 in May of last year.“I tested positive on May 19th, and within 5 days, I was in the ER. From there I was in a coma for 65 days… I spent a total of four and a half months in the hospital,” Borges said, mentioning her still “raspy” voice as the result of a tracheotomy.“I couldn’t walk. I lost my motor skills, I lost all my muscle, dropped about 35 pounds and came home in a wheelchair, relearned how to walk again,” she continued. She told the outlet that she did not have water or food and could not talk for four months during her coma and subsequent recovery.Choking back tears, Borges said, “The doctors told my children, my sister, my husband that I had a five percent chance of survival, and even if I did, I’d be in the hospital until at least January. I came home August 29th.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Regarding her feelings on the vaccine, she explained that initially, she “was against it,” later adding, “I was healthy, I had no underlying health issues.“But after her experience, she’s had a change of heart. “I just I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through,” she told CNN. “The only thing I can say is just add an extra layer of protection and get vaccinated, get the booster. I feel like everyone should have a choice, but at the same time it’s about protecting yourself and others.“RELATED VIDEO: Jimmy Fallon Reveals He Tested Positive for COVID: ‘I Was Vaccinated and Boostered’“I did not know that it was going to affect me the way it did,” Borges added. “I thought I was going to be sick for four or five days and then be fine. And that’s not how it went.“Borges' account comes at a time when theomicron variantof COVID-19 is spreading at unprecedented rates.In addition to getting vaccinated and boosted,health professionals recommend reassessingthe masks people have on hand in order to properly combat the virus.While a certified N95 or KN95 respirator mask is ideal,another recommendationis to double up and wear both a cloth mask and a disposable standard surgical mask for improved fit.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
Photo: cnn
A mother of five in Vacaville, Calif., came close to dying after being infected with COVID-19 and spending 65 days in a coma last year.Now, Andrea Arriaga Borges — who said she was unvaccinated when she fell ill — is speaking out about how her experience changed her opinion on receiving the shots.Borges, 48, spoke toCNNthis week to reflect on her experience, recounting her time in the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 in May of last year.“I tested positive on May 19th, and within 5 days, I was in the ER. From there I was in a coma for 65 days… I spent a total of four and a half months in the hospital,” Borges said, mentioning her still “raspy” voice as the result of a tracheotomy.“I couldn’t walk. I lost my motor skills, I lost all my muscle, dropped about 35 pounds and came home in a wheelchair, relearned how to walk again,” she continued. She told the outlet that she did not have water or food and could not talk for four months during her coma and subsequent recovery.Choking back tears, Borges said, “The doctors told my children, my sister, my husband that I had a five percent chance of survival, and even if I did, I’d be in the hospital until at least January. I came home August 29th.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.Regarding her feelings on the vaccine, she explained that initially, she “was against it,” later adding, “I was healthy, I had no underlying health issues.“But after her experience, she’s had a change of heart. “I just I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through,” she told CNN. “The only thing I can say is just add an extra layer of protection and get vaccinated, get the booster. I feel like everyone should have a choice, but at the same time it’s about protecting yourself and others.“RELATED VIDEO: Jimmy Fallon Reveals He Tested Positive for COVID: ‘I Was Vaccinated and Boostered’“I did not know that it was going to affect me the way it did,” Borges added. “I thought I was going to be sick for four or five days and then be fine. And that’s not how it went.“Borges' account comes at a time when theomicron variantof COVID-19 is spreading at unprecedented rates.In addition to getting vaccinated and boosted,health professionals recommend reassessingthe masks people have on hand in order to properly combat the virus.While a certified N95 or KN95 respirator mask is ideal,another recommendationis to double up and wear both a cloth mask and a disposable standard surgical mask for improved fit.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
A mother of five in Vacaville, Calif., came close to dying after being infected with COVID-19 and spending 65 days in a coma last year.
Now, Andrea Arriaga Borges — who said she was unvaccinated when she fell ill — is speaking out about how her experience changed her opinion on receiving the shots.
Borges, 48, spoke toCNNthis week to reflect on her experience, recounting her time in the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 in May of last year.
“I tested positive on May 19th, and within 5 days, I was in the ER. From there I was in a coma for 65 days… I spent a total of four and a half months in the hospital,” Borges said, mentioning her still “raspy” voice as the result of a tracheotomy.
“I couldn’t walk. I lost my motor skills, I lost all my muscle, dropped about 35 pounds and came home in a wheelchair, relearned how to walk again,” she continued. She told the outlet that she did not have water or food and could not talk for four months during her coma and subsequent recovery.
Choking back tears, Borges said, “The doctors told my children, my sister, my husband that I had a five percent chance of survival, and even if I did, I’d be in the hospital until at least January. I came home August 29th.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Regarding her feelings on the vaccine, she explained that initially, she “was against it,” later adding, “I was healthy, I had no underlying health issues.”
But after her experience, she’s had a change of heart. “I just I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through,” she told CNN. “The only thing I can say is just add an extra layer of protection and get vaccinated, get the booster. I feel like everyone should have a choice, but at the same time it’s about protecting yourself and others.”
RELATED VIDEO: Jimmy Fallon Reveals He Tested Positive for COVID: ‘I Was Vaccinated and Boostered’
“I did not know that it was going to affect me the way it did,” Borges added. “I thought I was going to be sick for four or five days and then be fine. And that’s not how it went.”
Borges' account comes at a time when theomicron variantof COVID-19 is spreading at unprecedented rates.
In addition to getting vaccinated and boosted,health professionals recommend reassessingthe masks people have on hand in order to properly combat the virus.
While a certified N95 or KN95 respirator mask is ideal,another recommendationis to double up and wear both a cloth mask and a disposable standard surgical mask for improved fit.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
