'Too late': Young man's Covid vaccine regret after double lung transplant

A man has revealed his regret not getting vaccinated after he was hospitalised with Covid-19 and required a double lung transplant.

Blake Bargatze, 24, from the US state of Georgia, remains in the ICU more than three months after he contracted coronavirus, WSB-TV reports.

His family said he contracted coronavirus in Florida in April and while Mr Bargatze did use a vape he had no other underlying health conditions.

The virus caused extensive damage to his lungs and according to a GoFundMe page, he had to be flown from a hospital in Florida to one in Atlanta before a third in Maryland.

Such was the damage done to his lungs from coronavirus, doctors placed him on an ECMO. An ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation] is used when patients have breathing issues and pumps blood in and out of the body to allow the lungs and heart to rest.

He received a lung transplant on June 28 and remains in hospital.

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Mr Bargatze’s mum Cheryl Nuclo told Fox 5 Atlanta her son is the only member of the family who has not been vaccinated.

She added he wanted one the night before he was intubated but it "was too late".

His step dad Paul Nuclo told WSB-TV the 24-year-old was apprehensive about receiving one.

“He wanted to wait a few years to see, you know, if there’s any side effects or anything from it,” Mr Nuclo said.

“As soon as he got in the hospital, though, he said he wished he had gotten the vaccine.”

Mr Bargatze is still recovering from surgery and his mum said he will require physical therapy as he has barely moved from a hospital bed in three months.

Ms Nuclo said her son wants more people to get vaccinated.

“He doesn't want them to go through what he's gone through,” she said.

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