Father of five dies of Covid after skipping vaccination

A father of five has died from Covid-19 after deciding against getting the vaccine.

Antwone Rivers, 39, and his wife, Hollie Rivers, from Lincoln Park, Michigan, took the pandemic seriously and were careful to abide by all Covid-19 precautions and guidance, such as wearing a mask and social distancing.

But both of them hesitated when it came to getting the vaccine, a decision Mrs Rivers has now said she regrets.

“It was funny because two weeks prior to this happening, we were talking about it more, saying maybe we should get vaccinated, and now it’s like, a big loss for everybody,” Mrs Rivers told Fox 2 Detroit.

Mrs Rivers was then asked if she would change her vaccination decision now given what has happened.

“Yes, no questions asked,” she said.

The family was tipped off that Mr Rivers, a Black man, had Covid-19 after he called in sick from work in April. Both he and his wife then tested positive, but while she recovered from the virus, his health rapidly deteriorated.

Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to be hesitant towards a vaccine compared to white Americans, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

The foundation found that 59 per cent of Black Americans have received or intended to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, while 13 per cent said they would definitely not get a vaccine and 7 per cent said they would only if required. This compared to 66 per cent of white Americans who said they have received or intended to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

“I know that it was like a week into us having Covid he started feeling worse and I started feeling better,” Mrs Rivers told the local news station.

Mr Rivers, who had no underlying health conditions, was admitted into the hospital. Doctors later placed him on a ventilator, but he died from Covid-19 on 13 May.

“Most of all it feels like a dream and it hasn’t hit me yet,” Mrs Rivers said.

She was now using her platform to encourage other Americans to receive a Covid-19 vaccine as soon as they can.

As of Sunday morning, 163 million Americans, or 42.9 per cent of the US population, have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 130 million Americans, or 39.2 per cent, were fully vaccinated against the novel virus, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health and government officials were now working to target communities where people have expressed hesitancy towards receiving one of the available Covid-19 vaccines.

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