In this Ontario hospital, it's mostly the unvaccinated who are overwhelming the ICU

After landing in the hospital on Christmas Day, Randy Samms has spent hours considering how close he came to dying from COVID-19. Now he looks forward to an occasion he has long avoided: The day he'll get vaccinated.

"I was afraid of the vaccine," said Samms, sitting in a chair beside his hospital bed in the COVID-19 ward at Bluewater Health in Sarnia, Ont. Now, though, "I would say, 'Definitely get the vaccine.'"

He's still recovering after spending two weeks in the hospital's intensive care unit, where Samms was told he was very nearly put on life support. Though he was able to leave the ICU a few days ago, he sometimes still struggles to breathe.

In recent weeks, the hospital's 14-bed ICU has been overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, the vast majority of whom hadn't received their shots.

The Lambton Public Health Unit, which serves Sarnia and its surrounding region in southwestern Ontario, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the province, with 77 per cent of the eligible population fully vaccinated. The Ontario average is 82 per cent.

This week, CBC News was granted access to Bluewater Health's ICU and its specially designated COVID-19 ward.

When Samms heard a journalist was in the hallway, he signalled he was keen to share his story. "It could have been a lot worse," he said in an interview. "I'm lucky to be living."

WATCH | A look inside Bluewater Health's dedicated COVID-19 ward:

Samms, 64, who is from the Sarnia area, said he'd been discouraged from getting vaccinated against COVID-19 after hearing about side-effects from his daughter and a co-op student at his business.

The vaccines approved for use in Canada have been shown to provide protection against severe COVID-19 symptoms, and multiple studies have indicated the risks posed by the disease heavily outweigh the chance of adverse reactions.

It's a message he now wants to share with others: "Don't be afraid of the vaccine," Samms said. "You certainly don't want to be put on life support or be put out, because it could cost you your life."

Samms said he visited Niagara Falls, Ont., about a week before Christmas. Within days of that trip, he started to experience symptoms. Then, on Dec. 25, "I couldn't handle it anymore," he said. "That's why I ended up here."

He encountered a hospital nearing capacity, with Bluewater staff shouldering the burden from both an influx of sick patients and colleagues feeling ill or isolating. "I couldn't believe how big it was and how busy it was," Samms recalled.

His wife fell ill, too, losing her sense of smell and taste, and coughing up blood. While she recovers at home, the couple can only see each other on FaceTime. Samms said he expects they'll both get vaccinated as soon as they can.