roflgator has COVID-19 scare, sent to the hospital

Olivia Richman Published 16/05/2021

Even though vaccines are being rolled out, people are still not in the clear when it comes to COVID-19. Popular streamer Rob “roflgator” Malecki has spent the entire week fighting against the virus.

roflgator stopped streaming earlier in the week, saying that he was worried about the illness. A few days later, his situation became even more concerning.

Unfortunately I can’t stream till I feel better. I am at the point where I am sincerely worried about this illness. This is the worst I’ve ever felt in my life. I’m really sorry
— roflgator (@roflgatorOW) May 13, 2021

roflgator’s girlfriend Stephanie shared a photo of the streamer laying in the ER on May 15. Stephanie mentioned that roflgator had been brought to the ER because his oxygen levels were dangerously low.

roflgator called into MurderCrumpet’s chat from the hospital later that day with a promising update, saying that roflgator was feeling a lot better. Still, roflgator recalled “feeling like crap” due to the lack of oxygen. He explained that it was “not even close” to being enough oxygen for his body to function properly.

On Discord, roflgator also admitted that he was hooked up to a few machines at the hospital. While this scared fans, they also felt that if he was on a ventilator he wouldn’t be able to use social media, giving them hope. Further analysis of his messages and pics led fans to believe he was on high-flow O2, which is usually a “precautionary measure.”

roflgator’s girlfriend then took to Twitter to clarify a few things about the virus and its vaccine.

“Just to clarify some things. Neither Rob nor I are anti-vax. I 100% wish the vaccine was available to me before I left for Texas, but it wasn’t,” Stephanie said. “I masked and sanitized the entire time I was there, only saw a few people most of which were vaccinated.”

She added that roflgator’s fans should “absolutely get vaccinated.”

So don’t take this as glorifying Covid for some sort of weird clout. Absolutely get vaccinated, we are quarantined and have been since I got back. Rob has been struggling with this for over a week so we thought it was time to go in. This was just a silly pic to lighten the mood.
— Stephanie (@xdsweetpea) May 15, 2021

Late morning on May 16, Stephanie gave a promising update on roflgator’s situation. According to a tweet, he was home and resting, though he was “not out of the woods yet.” She thanked fans and friends for the prayers and well-wishes. For now, roflgator is still struggling with COVID and hasn’t been streaming or using his own social media.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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