Anthony Johnson: Chester boss thought he would die of Covid

Anthony Johnson was taken to hospital with Covid

Chester FC manager Anthony Johnson thought "for a day or two" he was going to die of Covid.

The 38-year-old contracted the virus on 19 July and was later taken to hospital.

Johnson was experiencing a fever and his blood oxygen levels dropped worryingly to 71 mm Hg - the normal is between 80 and 100 mm Hg.

But he had to wait outside hospital in an ambulance due to the volume of patients.

"It was the scariest time of my life without a shadow of a doubt," the father-of-three told UCLAN Live.

"I thought for a day or two that was it. I was worried."

In hospital, doctors were concerned Johnson's kidneys could fail due to his low oxygen levels and he was later diagnosed with Covid pneumonia.

He had to wear an oxygen mask and had a scan for blood clots on his chest. Being on a ward with people a lot older than him made him think he was wasting a bed, but doctors told him he was one of their most ill patients.

"I was saying to the nurses and doctors I know I'm not as poorly as everyone else in here," Johnson added."And the doctor said: 'You are, your kidneys are failing and your blood oxygen level is lower than anybody else's in here. You're as poorly if not poorlier than everybody else'."When he said that, it struck a chord with me at how close I was to probably dying."

Johnson was treated with antibiotics and steroids and was discharged on 2 August.

The former Salford boss didn't have the vaccine before testing positive and believes if he had, he wouldn't have had to go to hospital. His wife was double jabbed and only suffered from cold-like symptoms.

Johnson has now encouraged others to get their vaccine.

"If you've got an option to get something that potentially saves you or makes you better or helps and the fact that I didn't get it done as soon as I could just shows how thick I was," he said.

"Having been through what I've been through I would pay every last penny I've got in my bank to make sure I didn't go through what I went through over the past couple of weeks."

National League Chester also said on Tuesday that several members of the first team squad had tested positive for Covid-19.

The National League and Saturday's opponents Curzon Ashton have been notified and a decision will be made on whether the game will take place.

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