'I'm Sorry But It's Too Late': AL Doctor To Dying COVID Patients

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A Grandview Medical Center doctor's recent Facebook post recounting how COVID-19 patients under her care beg for the vaccine before being intubated is drawing attention to the threat still posed by COVID-19, particularly the highly contagious delta variant, and the effectiveness of vaccines at preventing infections and hospitalizations.

Dr. Brytney Cobia is using her experiences to urge people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"I’m admitting young healthy people to the hospital with very serious COVID infections," Cobia said in her Facebook post Sunday. "One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late."

Cobia's Facebook post was recirculated by national news outlets like CNN, NBC News, Fox News and Newsweek. This placed more focus on Alabama's low vaccination rate, which is the lowest of any state in the country.

"I hug their family members and I tell them the best way to honor their loved one is to go get vaccinated and encourage everyone they know to do the same," Cobia said. "They cry. And they tell me they didn't know. They thought it was a hoax. They thought it was political. They thought because they had a certain blood type or a certain skin color they wouldn't get as sick. They thought it was 'just the flu'. But they were wrong."

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported Wednesday that 94 percent of COVID-19 hospital patients and 96 percent of Alabamians who have died of COVID-19 since April were not vaccinated. Only 33.4 percent of eligible Alabamians have been fully vaccinated, according to the ADPH.

The vaccination issue in Alabama has been blamed on misinformation and political motivation, but Republican senators Tommy Tuberville and Richard Shelby took to Twitter Wednesday supporting the vaccine, in hopes that the political divide between those vaccinated and those who are not narrows.

"Getting the COVID vaccine only takes a few minutes," Sen. Tuberville said via Twitter. "It's effective, safe, and doesn't cost you a dime. I got mine, and I encourage you to talk to your doctor about getting yours."

"I know there’s a lot of controversy around vaccinations," Sen. Shelby said. "I also know it is a personal decision. My wife and I got our COVID-19 vaccine as soon as we were able, and we encourage you to do the same. It could save your life."

Gov. Kay Ivey, who for most of the pandemic has followed medical experts' guidance rather than the advice of political allies, has backed away from her previously stringent stance on social distancing, vaccinations and coronavirus safety.

"Alabama is OPEN for business," Ivey said in a statement July 8 in response to UAB Hospital's report of increased numbers of COVID-19 patients. "Vaccines are readily available and I encourage folks to get one. The state of emergency and health orders have expired. We are moving forward."

With school starting in just a matter of weeks, including school activities such as sporting events which involve thousands of people packed into small spaces, Alabama might be in for another surge of cases like it saw in the fall of 2020.

University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban said during SEC Media Days this week that 90 percent of his team is fully vaccinated, which shows a significant disparity between the state and his players.

Cobia answered a question from Patch about the possibility of another massive outbreak when the schools open for the fall.

"With essentially none of our local schools requiring masks, this is a recipe for the delta variant to spread rapidly throughout schools," Cobia said. "This probably won't be as big of a deal for the kids because they're handling it very well (the delta variant is a little harder on them but still relatively mild). The problem is that the more virus that circulates in their population, the more virus that circulates in the adult population, and thus the more unvaccinated and breakthrough infections we will have."

In May, the state's seven-day average for new cases of COVID-19 stood at 297. On Wednesday, the seven-day average was reported at 1,047, and this is with testing down by more than 70 percent since March.

Alabama hospitals reported 469 COVID-19 patients Tuesday, a 130 percent increase since the beginning of the month.

"We know there are going to be cases of breakthrough infection even in vaccinated patients, but without herd immunity these numbers are going to be a lot higher because there's so much more virus circulating," Cobia said.