The Birmingham striker respects the personal decisions of the players to not get vaccinated.
Birmingham City striker Troy Deeney has reflected on the tough times he underwent after contracting the coronavirus last year.
The 33-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 during the final days of his spell at Watford last year, and he has now revealed that the virus took a toll on his health.
Deeney said (h/t The Sun): “I was quite seriously ill with this virus, having struggled for breath during Watford’s last match before lockdown against Crystal Palace and I ended up being hospitalised.
“I spent four days in hospital on a ventilator, suffering from Covid, in the spring of 2020. And I have a team-mate at Birmingham, Neil Etheridge, who almost died from the disease.”
Deeney, who is now vaccinated, respects the footballers’ decision not to get vaccinated.
The English striker added: “I’m double-jabbed and I think it’s the right thing to do. But I also think we should respect personal choice. It did not surprise me to hear that 25 percent of players in the Football League have no intention of being vaccinated against Covid.
“I also don’t believe the figures for vaccine hesitancy in football are hugely different to those in society at large — especially if you break the figures down into age and ethnic groups.
“I don’t understand why footballers always have to be at the forefront of every debate.
“Of course, players talk about Covid. A dressing-room environment is much like a pub.
You might have one group of players having a serious debate about vaccines, while some others don’t want to get involved.
“Soon after I arrived at Birmingham in the summer, there were long conversations about vaccines. At times the debate got quite heated.
“Some players, like other young people, believe that because they are so fit and healthy they are invincible and don’t need the vaccine.And some footballers, like other members of society, are influenced by scare stories and conspiracy theories on social media and the internet.”
The Premier League has been witnessing a surge in the COVID-19 cases lately, with a handful of matches being postponed as a consequence.
