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The family of a 66-year-old woman who died from a groundbreaking COVID-19 infection included a powerful message in her obituary for people who chose not to be vaccinated.
Candace Cay Ayers of Illinois died of complications from COVID-19 on September 3, months after being vaccinated against the virus. Although she was vaccinated, Ayers also suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that weakens the immune system’s ability to fight infections, according to her family.
Her son, Marc Ayers, told CNN his mother was likely infected during a trip to Mississippi in July. At the time, COVID-19 cases across the country were at their lowest in months.
“I took my parents to get that second shot, and we were all so excited,” he told the outlet. “We are a family that believes in science. We believe in masks and we believe in vaccines. We were ready to get back to normal.”
The family said Ayers was in intensive care and spent the last weeks of his life on a ventilator, according to WLS.
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“She was preceded in death by more than 4,531,799 other people infected with Covid-19,” the family wrote in their obituary, referring to the number of deaths worldwide caused by the virus.
“She was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be,” the obituary continues. “The cost was his life.”
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In an interview with Today, Marc said his mother was a “fighter” and expressed frustration with people who refused to take precautions for themselves and others during the pandemic.
“Mom was so angry with people who didn’t get vaccinated and didn’t wear masks,” he said.
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“We are a family that believes in science, believes in medical advice from the community, in medical recommendations from doctors,” he added. “We followed everything very strictly. So all of this combined is kind of what we’re still in shock that it didn’t seem to matter, at least to my mom.”
According to a New York Times database, more than 666,800 Americans have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began in early 2020.
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