Conservative Radio Host Phil Valentine Put on Ventilator Due to COVID

Conservative talk radio host Phil Valentine has been placed on a ventilator after being hospitalized with COVID, according to his family.

In a statement shared on Wednesday by Nashville, Tennessee's SuperTalk 99.7 WTN where Phil Valentine is a host, his family said: "Out of an abundance of caution, Phil has decided to be put in a ventilator to give his body much needed rest.

"We are confident that he will pull through, & thank you for your continued prayers."

The escalation in the radio host's treatment comes after his brother Mark Valentine said in an interview with Supertalk 99.7 WTN on Tuesday that there was no sign that he needed a ventilator to breathe at the time.

On Tuesday, Mark Valentine said his brother had needed a bipap machine to aid his breathing at night but had been off that for one night. He was however unable to keep his oxygen levels at a normal level without an oxygen mask.

Phil Valentine has made headlines in the past few days for changing his skeptical stance towards COVID vaccines since falling seriously ill.

In his last Facebook post made days before it was announced he was hospitalized, he made unfounded claims about the safety of COVID vaccines, and earlier this year shared a parody song about personal freedoms called Vaxman.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website: "COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history. CDC recommends you get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible."

On July 22, his family said in a statement: "Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an 'anti-vaxer' he regrets not being more vehemently 'Pro-Vaccine', and looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon."

Speaking to CNN on Monday, Mark Valentine said he had heard of people getting vaccinated after learning about his brother's situation.

"We have had dozens and dozens of people who have responded to the different media that we're... presently involved with, that have said, we went and got vaccinated because of this," he said.

A ventilator is a type of life support machine that breathes for a person, and features a tube that is inserted into the mouth or nose and into the trachea, or windpipe. The tube pushes air from the machine into the lungs, making the person inhale.

According Jerry King, an assistant professor in the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham: "You can't swallow, speak or cough. You might be sedated, if you are lucky. But you won't be sedated the whole time."

In an article shared on the University of Alabama at Birmingham website, he compared the process to standing in front of a leaf blower, with the machine using positive pressure to force air into the lungs.