A Florida teacher who could not get a vaccine because of her cancer treatment has died of COVID-19. His union says she caught him in his class, which did not have a mask warrant.

• Florida elementary school teacher Kelly Peterson died of complications from COVID-19 on Monday.

• Her doctor advised her not to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to her leukemia treatment.

• Her sister and her union believe Peterson was infected in class, where masks were not required.

• Visit the Insider home page for more stories.

A 41-year-old Florida teacher whose doctor advised her against getting the vaccine died of complications from COVID-19 after being forced to return to teaching in person where there was no mask warrant, according to local media.

Kelly Peterson was not vaccinated against the coronavirus because she suffered from leukemia and her doctor advised her against getting the vaccine in her already weakened condition, her sister, Christin, told KTVU.

Lake Shipp Elementary School announced Peterson’s death in a Facebook post on Monday, saying it “touched the lives of hundreds of students” and “made a lasting impression on us all.”

Peterson’s sister and the Polk County Teachers Union said she contracted COVID-19 in the classroom, KTVU reported. However, it should be noted that it is almost impossible to know how someone contracted COVID-19.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has banned mask warrants in the state, but several schools have defied the order.

Peterson’s sister told KTVU of the doctor’s warnings against the COVID-19 vaccination: “Because her leukemia was so severe at this point, their concern was to get the vaccine which could potentially put too much stress on her. body.”

Cancer patients and survivors are encouraged to get the vaccine, but to discuss the decision with their doctor first, according to the American Cancer Society. ACS said the main question about vaccines and cancer is not whether the vaccine is safe, but whether it is also effective in people with already compromised immune systems.

Last year, Peterson worked remotely, but her sister said she was forced to resume in-person learning this school year, even though she was immunocompromised.

The story continues

“With all of the COVID cases this year and her medical situation, she should have been a virtual teacher this year. The school didn’t offer that,” Peterson’s sister told The Ledger.

The Polk County School District superintendent and the principal of Lake Shipp did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Lorinda Utter, one of Peterson’s co-workers, told The Ledger that Peterson took every precaution in class, wearing a mask at all times and disinfecting surfaces regularly.

“She has done all she can to try and stay away from COVID,” Utter said.

Peterson was terrified of contracting COVID-19, her sister said, and knew the effects it would have on her if she did contract it.

“She had repeatedly expressed concerns that if she contracted COVID, she was afraid it would kill her, and unfortunately that is what happened,” Christin Peterson told KTVU.

Christin Peterson also said she hopes her sister’s story will encourage more people to get the vaccine.

Stephanie Yocum, president of the Polk County Teachers Union, said she hopes parents “set a good example” for their children by wearing masks.

“If wearing a mask can keep someone from dying, it should be something everyone should be doing now,” Yocum told KTVU.

Read the original article on Insider