Idaho nurse who refused COVID vaccine dies: brother

David Matthews, New York Daily News
·2 min read

An Idaho nurse who refused the COVID-19 vaccine, and encouraged her family to do the same, even after her COVID-infected mother went into a coma, has died, according to her brother.

Daryl Rise told CNN that his older sister Natalie Rise was a victim of disinformation.

“She was telling me not to get vaccinated,” Daryl Rise said. “I think it was from misinformation, I think it was falling into negative social media and bloggers, YouTubers.”

Idaho currently lags behind the rest of the United States, with only 40.8% of the population fully vaccinated compared to the nation’s still-meager 54.7%.

The COVID crisis came at the Rise family swiftly.

Daryl Rise told KXLY his mom was hospitalized with COVID pneumonia on Aug. 10 after a week of illness and trouble breathing. She was intubated and put into a medically induced coma. Days later, his sister became ill and was hospitalized “right down the hall” from her mother.

Even while in the hospital and receiving oxygen, the former nurse told her younger brother not to get vaccinated.

Natalie Rise, a 46-year-old mother of 10-year-old twins with special needs, died Aug. 22 in Coeur d’Alene, which is still seeing a surge in cases as the entire state has become overwhelmed. A day later, the Food and Drug Administration gave its full approval to Pfizer vaccine, the same day Daryl Rise said he got his first jab.

“I got it out of fear,” he said.

The Idaho man said his mother, who is recovering and out of her coma, has not decided on whether to get vaccinated.

Whether or not his mother follows his lead, Rise is encouraging others to get vaccinated already.

“We’re hearing from all these doctors and professionals who have all this education and they’re basically begging us to get the vaccination. The people that are telling us not to, they’re not as educated as these doctors, and they’re following social media. It doesn’t matter if we’re a donkey or an elephant. It is a personal choice, but the numbers don’t lie,” Daryl Rise told KXLY.