San Antonio pediatric nurse practitioner back home after battling COVID-19 for months in hospital

Justin Vine has difficulty walking and is taking medicine after hospitalization for COVID-19

SAN ANTONIO – Justine Vine, a pediatric nurse practitioner who tested positive for COVID-19 in June, was released from the hospital on Friday after recovering from a medically induced coma.

Vine was hospitalized on June 30 after testing positive.

“It was really nice just to see familiar, friendly, happy faces that I hadn’t seen in a long time,” Vine said.

Vine was placed on a ventilator, given a plasma donation, and treated with remdesivir. After being in a medically induced coma for 56 days, he began to improve.

Vine came out of the coma and eventually went through rehabilitation. Although he’s back home, he is still using a walker and taking it one day at a time.

“I am on a couple of medications that hopefully I can wean off of pretty soon. I take blood pressure medication. I just take some for reflux and anything for pain. I have pain in my feet,” Vine said.

Vine said he is not letting his guard down, and neither should the public.

“There’s is no one who’s immune to this exposure. Senators are getting it. President has it. His wife has it. And I think if anybody who wasn’t going to get it, it would be them,” Vine said.

Vine said he will continue to work on his walking and hopes to recover soon to get back to work as a pediatric nurse practitioner.

“It’s incredible that we can have him back and just spend time together,” said Esther Aguayo, Vine’s wife.


About the Authors:

Tiffany Huertas is a reporter for KSAT 12 known for her in-depth storytelling and her involvement with the community.