Former Salford City boss Anthony Johnson has admitted he was "stupid" to delay getting his Covid-19 jab, after nearly dying when contracting the virus.
Johnson, who now manages Chester FC, was enjoying a successful pre-season with his new side ahead of their new campaign in the sixth-tier of English football, but his summer quickly took a turn.
The 38-year-old was seriously ill in hospital just days after his side beat AFC Bury in pre-season, and was supported by an oxygen mask as his kidneys began to fail.
It was the second time that Johnson has tested positive for Covid in eight months, but this time the father of three feared for his life.
Johnson recalled the life-threatening incident, and revealed: "One minute I'm having a beer, the next day I've got Covid and a week later I'm in hospital hooked up to every type of machine.
"It's a lesson in how quickly life can turn. I'm just a 38-year-old bloke that didn't find time to get the vaccine and nearly died. I didn't know if I was going to survive to tell the story."
Johnson previously contracted the virus in November 2020 but recovered quickly, and assumed that he couldn't possibly get it again, which contributed to his hesitance to get the jab.
The Chester boss admitted: "I thought I couldn't get it again. Looking back, I guess that was a different variant to the current Delta one."
When Johnson initially tested positive on 19 July, his health rapidly declined which led to him being transported from his family home by ambulance to nearby Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, and the 38-year-old waited for a total of four hours inside the ambulance because the hospital was so busy.
Thankfully, Johnson recovered, but he regrets his decision not to be vaccinated sooner as he admitted he was sorry for what he put his family through and revealed that his wife labelled him selfish for putting off getting the jab.
"Ultimately, if I had not recovered my wife would have had to bring up three children on her own. All because I hadn't found the time to get the jab. How stupid am I?" he continued.
"When I got home from hospital we didn't hug for an hour or anything like that. It was more a conversation, with Kayla saying something along the lines of 'you've been selfish. You should have found time to have the jab'.
"I'm not an anti-vaxxer. I was busy with pre-season at Chester and it wasn't high on my list of priorities.
"I regret putting my family through something that might have been avoided.
Johnson's wife had already been vaccinated, but the Chester boss prioritised pre-season over his health and the potential wellbeing of others, which could easily have cost him.
