COVID: Unvaccinated woman loses arms and legs after infection

An American woman had parts of her arms and legs amputated after being infected with Covid. The virus caused severe blood clotting in her body as well as heart conditions.

'If my Arms gotta go, they gotta go'

Candice Davis, 30, spent three weeks on a ventilator at a hospital in Philadelphia, where she was rushed to within days after contracting the virus in August. Candice, who had no pre-existing conditions, soon developed heart complications and blood clots.

Medics had to transfer her to an ECMO machine, which pumped oxygen directly into her blood. That notwithstanding, her life was still in danger due to the inability of blood to circulate to her arms and legs.

To save her life, doctors deemed it necessary to amputate both her arms below her elbow, a leg below the knee, and part of one foot. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Candice had this to say when she received the news:

I said, 'If my arms gotta go, they gotta go.' It’s my life.

‘Get the vaccine!’

Candice’s mum, Paige, from Colorado Springs, was the one who broke the devastating news to her daughter. She said of the experience:

It was hurtful. It was scary. I work at a hospital, and to have my child go through this—I didn’t know how to react to it at all. It was overwhelming. All we did was start praying. The strongest one out of all of us is Candice. She has her crying days, she has her good days, but she’s stronger than all of us.

Candice and her family clarified that she was notagainst the vaccine, but she never got around to getting the shot before catching the virus. Paige said:

She hurts, she’s going through it, she beats herself up [about not getting the vaccine]. Her goal was to get the vaccination, but she just didn’t get to it. So, she wasn’t vaccinated, and it took out her heart.

The family is now encouraging people to not delay getting vaccinated. Speaking directly to people who are yet to decide whether to get vaccinated, Candice said:

Get the vaccine—you don’t want to lose your limbs. And, most importantly, you don’t want to lose your life.

The loss of limbs is a rare consequence of the coronavirus, with the majority of cases being recorded amongst the elderly who have diabetes or peripheral arterial disease.