A former nurse from Middlesbrough who was left with just 30% lung capacity after contracting flu in 2022 has said the vaccine saved her life. Claire Davies, 40, now requires permanent oxygen and is on the waiting list for a double lung transplant.
Claire, who had pre-existing lung conditions including bronchiolitis obliterans and severe cystic bronchiectasis, had always received her annual flu jab. However, in 2022 the virus 'completely floored' her, leading to a three-month hospital stay. 'I was so ill I couldn't even talk. It was terrifying,' she said.
Doctors warned Claire that without the vaccine she would not have survived. 'I have no doubt in my mind that if I hadn't had the vaccine I wouldn't be here now. It literally saved my life,' she said. The flu caused such severe damage that she now has only 30% lung capacity.
Claire has had to leave her nursing role and now works from home in a desk-based patient experience job. 'It's difficult for me to go out, as I have to carry oxygen with me wherever I go,' she explained. 'It's terrifying not knowing how long I might have left, but all I can do is hope that a donor is found in time.'
Her warning comes as flu cases surge across the UK, with hospital admissions quadrupling compared to the same period last year. A new mutated strain of influenza is circulating, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Asthma + Lung UK reports that people with lung conditions are seven times more likely to die from flu than healthy individuals.
Claire urges everyone, especially the vulnerable, to get vaccinated. 'A lot of people think, oh it's just flu, I'll be fine, but flu can be deadly. It's just not worth the risk,' she said.
