Doctor Makes Passionate Plea for Michiganians to Get the Vaccine
You will not see a more raw, passionate plea than the one in the video below.
Dr. Shelley Schmidt is a pulmonary critical care specialist for Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. She was one of a handful of guests who joined Governor Gretchen Whitmer in Grand Rapids as she updated Michiganians on the current state of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I wrote the first COVID-19 death certificate at Spectrum health," Schmidt said. "I have never taken care of a patient dying from the vaccine."
Governor Whitmer warned that the current COVID surge could last another four to six weeks, as the Omicron variant takes a stronghold on Michigan, noting that the disease is spreading even faster than anticipated.
Dr. Schmidt Pleads With Michigan Residents to Trust Her
In an emotional plea for Michiganians to get vaccinated, Schmidt stressed the importance of trusting medical experts.
“You will have to trust me when you or your relative comes to my intensive care unit and needs to be put on life support. Trust me now. Trust this vaccine. Mask, distance, but above all, vaccinate. Boost," she said. "We will only find our way through this if we do this together.”
She went on to say that she's been heartbroken to watch people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s making their last Facetime calls with loved ones before going on life support.
"This is not a game. This is not about ratings, or readership, or polls," Schmidt said. "This is about 800,000 American lives. And this is preventable."
On a Personal Note ...
We've been hearing about the importance of vaccines from politicians, scientists, and medical professionals like Dr. Schmidt for about a year now. I'm going to weigh in as a regular Joe, or a regular George, if you will.
I am so thankful that got the vaccine and a booster shot when I was eligible. I got a breakthrough case of COVID-19 about two weeks after getting the booster shot.
Let me stress this to you: I had no symptoms whatsoever.
I couldn't believe it when I was tested at Flint's Hurley Medical Center and the test came back positive. I never would have known it.
I spent the following 10 days in isolation without as much as even a sniffle. I truly believe that the vaccine did its job.
If you're on the fence, I hope you'll strongly consider getting the vaccine.