GREENSBORO, N.C. — “It's just a terrible experience seeing your kid lying there and there's nothing you can do to help them,” said Maria Alverado, Liliana's mother.
Maria's 16-year-old Liliana was hospitalized for 11 days due to COVID.
At first, they thought it was just a cold but then it got worse. Liliana is back at her Colorado high school, but it scares her to think of what could have happened.
“I'm sorry but it was just a scary experience. It was stressful on my mom too, to just to see me hooked up to all these IV’s and it's something not to joke about. And it is a very real disease and teenagers can get it,” said Liliana.
Liliana was not vaccinated. This all happened before all 16-year-olds could be vaccinated nationwide.
There are common myths believed by many teenagers and young adults that include them not needing to get the vaccine, because they can’t get COVID-19. 2WTK talked with Cone Health's Dr. Zoe Stallings about young adults and the vaccine.
She said it's a myth young adults can't be hurt by COVID-19.
“There are long-standing effects that young people can get from having COVID and not getting super sick. They can have problems breathing, shortness of breath that last for some time. Not to mention the loss of taste and smell for months. Get your vaccine and get protected from the disease,” said Dr. Stallings.
Myth #1: Young people don’t need to get the vaccine because they are immune to COVID-19
Dr. Zoe Stallings says that's simply not true. The virus doesn't play favorites.
Myth #2: If older people are vaccinated, I don’t need to get vaccinated
We have to make sure we are protecting those around us. There is an entire movement of the population, we need to get 75% vaccinated. The vaccine cannot kill you. There are long-standing effects from this disease. The risk of getting the disease is greater.
Myth #3: The COVID-19 vaccine could cause infertility
The American College of OB/GYN is advising pregnant patients to get vaccinated. The CDC has not released any statements suggesting this. We have data on pregnant women, some who participated in trials did get pregnant during trials and they were fine and so was the baby.
Myth #4: You can get COVID-19 from the vaccine
Physicians are not giving you the disease. The portion that your body is injected with is similar to the common cold. It's essentially a photocopy, your body recognizes the virus, takes a photocopy and memorizes it for later.