Jim Sells: Anti-vax councilman ill with Covid warns 'self-treaters are first to die'
A Trump-backing conservative councilman from Georgia has emerged as one of the biggest endorsers of the Covid-19 vaccine after he battled severe Covid infection last month. Jim Sells, 71, used to be "hardcore anti-vaccine" in the past and had vehemently opposed the mass-scale vaccination drive across the country. However, his own harrowing experience with Covid has prompted him to take a U-turn on his previous stance and urge his conservative friends and acquaintances to get jabbed as soon as possible.
Sells joins a long list of former anti-vaccine propagandists who have changed their stance after being affected by Covid-19 and suffering extreme complications. In fact, quite a number of anti-vaxxers have even succumbed to the deadly disease. Texas pastor Danny Reeves, who once opposed vaccination, is now urging everyone to get vaccinated after his "harrowing" days in ICU from Covid. On August 24, pregnant Alabama nurse Haley Richardson died from Covid after refusing to get vaccinated. Prominent anti-vaxxers like radio host Phil Valentine and Georgia police officer Joe Manning have died from Covid complications.
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Who is Jim Sells?
Sells, a city councilman from Grantville, Georgia, did not trust the vaccination in the past and refrained from getting the jab. He even strongly rallied against the vaccine and prevented others from being vaccinated as well. However, a 16-day tryst with the virus was enough to change his mind. He has now recovered from Covid, but had to spend 12 days in ICU fighting for his life in the past month.
Speaking to Atlanta's 11 Alive News, Sells said, "I prayed for recovery, and all my friends prayed, and the doctors and nurses worked on me." He added that his survival was a gift from God and he decided to use the gift by raising awareness among his group of "hard-headed conservatives."
"If you can recover from this, you have to change everything," Sells recalled telling himself in the hospital, "This has to be a life-changer." In a series of Facebook posts, he elaborately narrated his experience with Covid-19 and pleaded everyone to get the jab.
After being discharged from the hospital on August 20, Sells wrote, "I’m just home from 14 days in the Hospital, 12 in ICU! Covid dammed near killed my and I’m Pissed. I’m pissed at myself and most of my hard core super conservative group! We’ve overplayed our hand and it’s killing people. I will not debate or argue what I’m about to say! I was within hours of death because of my hard core self medicating no big deal. The first 24 hours they did not know if they could save me and made that clear. I am alive because of God’s Grace and the doctors and nurses at Fayette Piedmont! And did I say I’m Pissed?"
He continued, "Look all you anti vaccine! People are dying every day from Covid! They are suffocating as their lungs fail! 20,000 dead Georgians! AND THE ICU’s ARE FULL! This is deadly serious and we’re blowing it off! Consider the shot! If you get ill get to a DR office. Don’t screw with this! 12 days in ICU all rooms were overflowing! The more macho you are the more in danger you are! Any question get a chest X-Ray! Don’t be like my dumb butt! Stop the hard core BS blowing this off! It’s real and killing people every day! And I’ll be a month getting my lungs and strength back."
In another follow-up post, he warned, "To all of my hard core anti-vaccine friends. First know I love this group and fear you are unaware things have changed! “How did I and you work the last 18 months non-stop around this virus with zero problems and now Jim Sells says it’s time to seriously fear it?” The fact it damn near just killed me and I spent 14 days in ICU just makes me a singular exception! RIGHT? NO! WRONG! Things have changed! The Delta variant is much more contagious! YOU are now at much higher risk! Be aware! It is killing people by destroying their lungs! FAST! I ask you to be alert! The macho self treaters like I was are the first to die as they are the last to ask for help! I thank God for the doctors and nurses that saved me and my vaccinated wife at home now nursing me back to health!"
Almost 48 percent of Georgia residents are still unvaccinated for Covid while the cases are alarmingly increasing in the state. Over 78 deaths are being recorded every day while 6,400 are still in hospital with Covid. In fact, 96% of the ICU beds in Georgia are currently occupied by Covid patients.