A Filipino nurse working in the United Kingdom (UK) has turned into an advocate for vaccinations after surviving the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Jaypee Palis, a COVID-19 vaccinator and lead coordinator in a vaccine hub, encouraged everyone to get their shots.

“I got the courage to say that I’m also a COVID-19 warrior. I fought for my life, and now, I am here trusting that science will do something,” Jaypee Palis said in an interview with GMA News' “24 Oras” report.

“Whatever kind of vaccine it is, if it’s offered to you, as long as it’s safe, accept it,” he said.

Palis, who tested positive for the virus in March, 2020, said his condition reached the critical stage and was told he needed to be sedated and intubated. He also experienced headaches, cough, and shortness of breath.

He added that one of the hardest things he encountered as a nurse amid the pandemic was caring for patients.

Palis has been working at a hospital in England for four years.

“There was fear. We’re fighting the impossible. In our work, I was able to handle one of the first suspected cases," Palis told GMA News.

“The nurse told me ‘If you’re not gonna get better after this intervention, we already prepared the critical care bed,’” he said.

Palis also said he could not stop worrying back then about his family in the Philippines because his father had just died.

“I told them that they should not let me see them crying because what will kill me is homesickness, not the COVID-19,” he said.

“I felt alone. I felt like no one was helping me but I was so lucky because there’s a Filipino community here,” he added.

Palis was allowed to go home after five days in the hospital, the report added.