CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) - A Carlsbad man says his ongoing COVID battle has changed his mind about getting the vaccine.
Robin Banks felt the first symptom last Friday night.
“Slight headache. Didn’t think much of it,” said Banks, 27.
Over the next few days, the headache got worse.
“Felt like I had a metal clamp on my head. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t really see, hear, eat. Couldn’t move my body,” said Banks.
Banks says he got a fever and started having trouble breathing.
“Realizing I couldn't really take deep breaths. Felt like a weight on my chest,” said Banks. “One of the worst feelings I've had — ever.”
Banks was bedridden for nearly four days before he started feeling a little better Wednesday. He went to a hospital and tested positive for COVID-19.
The positive test came three weeks after Banks qualified to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I didn’t really know much about it, so I thought, maybe wait a little bit and see how that goes,” said Banks.
Banks says he was hesitant about getting the vaccine.
“To me, it seemed really rushed. It seemed like there could be a lot of effects that happened in the future, and we don't know about it. That scared me in getting it,” said Banks.
Banks, who runs and works out every day, also wasn't too worried about contracting COVID-19, though he has taken all the precautions in his work as a handyman.
"Me believing I’m young and strong and in great shape … that it wouldn't affect me this way. It’s not true,” said Banks.
While he doesn’t know how much protection he would have had if he had received a vaccine weeks ago -- and while his vaccine concerns haven't gone away -- he now plans to get a vaccine when he’s recovered.
“I do regret not getting the vaccine earlier. I wouldn’t want to go through what I’m going through right now, and any step towards ending this virus is a good step,” said Banks.
