She was just 31
In a series of heartbreaking TikTok videos from her deathbed, an unvaccinated woman begged her followers to get the jab.
Alexandra Blankenbiller died just nine days later.
Videos of the 31-year-old’s pleas, having spent days in a Florida hospital surrounded by a chorus of moans and screams, now take on an eerie presence.
Her last post, on August 15, is now a viral endorsement for getting vaccinated. It has been viewed 834,000 times.
In her final post, Alexandra told her 16,300 followers: “I don’t have a lot of energy for talking, so I’m going to try to make this quick.
“I did not get vaccinated. I’m not anti-vax. I was just trying to do my research. I was scared.
“I do think it was a mistake.
“I shouldn’t have waited. If you are even 70 per cent sure you want the vaccine, go get it. Don’t wait. Go get it. Because hopefully if you get it, then you won’t end up in the hospital like me.”
WebMD reports that she died nine days later.
@atasteofalex**Also, Tonic Water. Nasty stuff but good for you!! Stay safe out there guys!♬ original sound – It’s Alex, Betch. ?
In an earlier video, Alexandra explained how she had been trying to convince her entire family to get the vaccine, after initially being hesitant herself.
“It’s OK to have questions, but I’m just telling you guys I was for weeks really thinking about getting it, ready to get it, but frankly I waited because I was trying to convince my whole family to do it at the same time,” she said.
“But if you are in my boat and you’re waiting to convince someone else to do it with you, don’t. Just get vaccinated.”
Alexandra, along with her mother, and two sisters, had all made appointments to get vaccinated, but before their scheduled slots came up, they had fallen ill. Alexandra became the most seriously ill of the four.
“It’s no secret this is something that should be taken seriously,” her sister, Cristina Blankenbiller told WebMD.
“But there’s so much misinformation out there.”
In one video, in which she addressed a commenter who suggested fears over the virus were overblown, Alexandra said her experience indicated otherwise.
“I’ve been here since early Friday morning, and all I’ve been hearing are the moans and screams of people in pain,” she said, becoming emotional.
“People, I’m assuming that have lost people that they love, because I know what that’s like personally and what that sounds like.”
Florida has seen its worst surge in coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic.
Just 54% of its population have been vaccinated, and the state recorded a seven-day rolling average of 244 Covid-19 deaths last month, compared to a previous peak of 227 in August 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Related links:
- Jimmy Kimmel says unvaccinated people shouldn’t get ICU beds
- Gary Lineker bodies Matt Le Tissier over ‘flu vaccine’ Covid claim
- Joe Rogan tests positive for Covid after telling listeners not to get vaccine