Doctor says 'death is imminent' for a woman on a hospital bed in Michigan who refused the COVID-19 vaccine 'adamantly'

• Dr. Nicole Linder from Michigan said she watched a patient's COVID-19 symptoms worsen for weeks.
• Her patient, Kathy, refused to get vaccinated, and now it's too late, Linder said.
• "Despite everything that could possibly be done for her, she's going to lose her battle and lose her life," Linder said.

A doctor in Michigan issued a stern warning for a woman lying on a hospital bed who refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine: "Death is imminent."

Dr. Nicole Linder, chief hospitalist at OSF St. Francis Hospital Medical Group in Escanaba, Michigan, urged the public to get vaccinated against the coronavirus on Thursday. To make her point clearly, she cited a "very special patient" of hers named Kathy who had "refused the vaccine adamantly" before contracting the coronavirus.

Kathy has been in the hospital for at least three weeks battling COVID-19, Linder said, according to local news outlet MLive.com.

After being admitted to the hospital, Kathy called up several friends and family members to convince them to get vaccinated. At least six people got vaccinated after speaking with Kathy, Linder said, according to MLive.com.

Kathy has since been released on hospice care to spend time with her family as her symptoms continue to worsen. Ahead of her release, Kathy and Linder hugged goodbye.

"It was too late for her," said Linder, who got permission from Kathy to share her story. "Despite everything that could possibly be done for her, she's going to lose her battle and lose her life. And she's vivacious and gregarious and just a wonderful person and this did not have to happen. Her family didn't have to lose her."

For months, health experts have been urging the public to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Friday says that unvaccinated people are up to 11 times likelier to die of COVID-19 than people who've gotten a jab.

Nationwide, about 54% of the US population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

"I'm fatigued, and I am heartsick and I'm tired of watching people suffer needlessly and die of a disease that could have been prevented by a simple and safe and effective vaccine," Linder said. "I don't want to watch my patients' families suffer with the grief of this and also the guilt if they played some role in their family member's decision not to be vaccinated."