Delta variant: Expert on vaccines’ impact on transmissibility
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Anthony Johnson, the former Salford City team boss, was rushed to hospital suffering from pneumonia and kidney failure after becoming infected with the virus for a second time. The football manager, who previously starred in the Class of 92: Full Time documentary alongside Gary Neville and David Beckham, is just 38-years-old with no underlying health conditions.
When he first caught the virus in 2020, Mr Johnson said he had experienced only “mild symptoms”.
However, the father-of-three’s second time catching the virus was not as easy – with him being taken to hospital by ambulance on July 26 because of it.
Paramedics were forced to use a defibrillator on him to try to find a pulse while he lay in the back of the ambulance for five hours.
During the week he spent in hospital, Mr Johnson suffered kidney failure and pneumonia – despite being of good health before catching Covid.
Mr Johnson, who is now joint-boss at Chester FC, said: “It was the scariest time of my life without a shadow of a doubt. I thought for a day or two that was it. I was worried.”
The football manager caught the virus on July 19 after his nine-year-old daughter Bella contracted it following outbreaks in her class at school.
He isolated and experienced flu-like symptoms, similar to what he had when he previous tested positive for Covid in November last year.
But things took a turn for the worse and a week later, his wife Kayla had to call him an ambulance when he started to suffer serious breathing issues.
Despite his blood oxygen level dropping to 71 and his temperature at 41 degrees Celsius, he could not be treated straight away as A&E staff were swamped with patients.
Mr Johnson added: “At this point I’m thinking I could have been dead because if they hadn’t found my pulse, I wouldn’t have known any different.
“The weather was horrific because it was so hot outside. Two weeks ago, we were going through that heatwave, but I had a temperature.
“I’d just had this defib on and I’m lying in an ambulance bed thinking I’m done.
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“Those paramedics were with me for nearly five hours so whilst they’re sat with me not being able to do anything apart from making sure I don’t die there’s other people not being seen to.”
When he was finally admitted to a ward, Johnson argued to docs that he was not as poorly as the other patients – though this was proven wrong when doctors discovered he had kidney failure and he was also diagnosed with Covid pneumonia.
He underwent further tests and was prescribed a permanent oxygen mask – meaning the self-confessed “control freak” has to use a wheelchair to do anything or he would lose his breath.
Mr Johnson was discharged from hospital on August 2 having not fully recovered from Covid-19.
But as he had reached the limit of how many steroids and antibiotics he was allowed, there was no reason for him to stay.
Although his wife has been fully vaccinated against Coronavirus, Mr Johnson had not had the jab.
But after his release from hospital, he says he is keen to get his first dose as soon as he is well enough to leave his house.
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