Even though Jeremih had a recent near-death experience during his battle with COVID-19, he’s in no rush to get the new vaccinations that are quickly becoming available to the masses.
In a candid conversation with Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI, the Grammy Award-nominated singer/producer was asked whether he would take the coronavirus vaccine, and he replied, “Right now, I’m not sure yet.”
“Right now, I’m good,” he continued. “I’m still taking shots from the hospital, so I’m good from my shots right now.”
On Dec. 4, the 33-year-old “Birthday Sex” crooner was discharged from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago after a month-long stay where he received treatment for a bout with COVID-19 that reportedly sent him into the intensive care unit.
His mother, Gwenda Starling, told news outlets that the virus “viciously attacked every organ in his body.”
With prayers from fans and many celebrities, notably Chance the Rapper (who considers him to be “like a brother”) Jeremih is now on the road to recovery. Upon his return home, he has been learning how to walk again, but revealed he hasn’t yet removed his hospital bracelet.
“You know what…[it’s] just a reminder, you know, of what I’ve been through…,” he shared. “After a couple of days, I was just looking at it because I just, um, two things: I just wanted to remind myself where I’ve been through, and like…remind myself my purpose here on this earth, you know. Cuz while in there, I wasn’t sure whether or not I was still gonna be able to walk, you know, on this earth, so until I get my talk and my walk back, I’m gonna keep this on.”
The former Def Jam Recordings artist, whose real name is Jeremy Phillip Felton, also told ABC TV affiliate WLS Chicago
More Top Picks Shop
that he hopes “nobody go through what I went through.”“If I had to be the example, I’ll take it, because a lot of people might just be taking it for granted, still out partying and amongst their friends,” he said. “It happened to me and I happen to be one of the few who made it.”
The Chicago native said days before he was hospitalized in November he knew “something wasn’t right.”
“My heart was beating irregularly. My liver and kidneys were out. I can talk about this now because, thank God, I’ve made it and I’m still here, but I was on dialysis. I was on things I can only recall my grandparents talking about, to be so young,” he explained.
Jeremih, who said he never been treated at a hospital prior to COVID-19 diagnosis, was also diagnosed with multiple inflammatory syndrome, which affects major organs.
“They kept telling me the numbers weren’t getting better,” he added. “I’m just like, when did my body get this bad? I’ve never had any problems with it my whole life, for 33 years!”
Jeremih said he considered giving up, but his mother, his two sons, and fellow Chicago native Chance the Rapper, kept pushing for him to survive.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 330,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19.