Kansas City father went to the ICU with COVID. Now, he has a new take on the vaccine
Antwaun Dunnigan’s wife, Jasmine, called 911 on July 24. The 39-year-old father of four was struggling to breathe.
Dunnigan, who lives in Kansas City with his family and works as a security guard, was getting weaker. His chest hurt.
He was taken to Research Medical Center’s emergency room and was at high risk for respiratory failure. Physicians were also worried about a pulmonary embolism, a potentially life-threatening complication of the disease.
Dunnigan was then admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 and pneumonia, according to a hospital news release, which detailed his recent journey with the disease.
As he was placed on a mechanical ventilator to help him breathe, Dunnigan became one of the more recent victims of the new wave of coronavirus cases.
In the past week, the Kansas City metropolitan area added more than 5,100 new COVID-19 cases and 38 more deaths, according to data from area health departments.
Before getting sick, Dunnigan opted not to get the coronavirus vaccine. He was young, healthy and had no significant medical history before he was brought into the emergency room, according to the news release.
“We’ve seen patients experiencing the situation Mr. Dunnigan was in as having the potential for a very long recovery time to regain strength and conditioning, and to feel well enough to return to work,” David McKinsey, an infectious disease specialist with Research Medical Center, said in the release.
McKinsey called it a miracle that Dunnigan was discharged just five days after he was admitted. Often, it can take patients weeks, or months, on supplemental oxygen to recover, he said. And more patients are coming in.
As of Tuesday, the seven-day rolling average for new cases sat at 735, according to data tracked by The Star. One week ago, the average was 618 and two weeks ago, around the time Dunnigan was released from the hospital, it was 452.
The average age of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Research Medical Center is 46, McKinsey said. As of Wednesday, there was only one patient over the age of 65.
Across HCA Midwest Health’s seven hospitals, which include Research, more than 90% of the COVID-19 patients were unvaccinated, McKinsey said. Most of the vaccinated patients had underlying health conditions.
Now out of the hospital, Dunnigan has a message for the community: Get vaccinated.
“COVID is real and getting vaccinated is a real choice you should take, I know that now,” Dunnigan said in the release.
Waiting to get vaccinated, he said, is one of his biggest regrets.
Dunnigan also thanked the healthcare professionals who helped bring him home to his family.
“I received the absolute best, most compassionate care at Research Medical Center during the loneliest and most frightening days I’ve had,” he said in the release. “Each hand and mind and heart of those physicians and nurses helped me heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. They were truly angels.”
