Fully vaccinated woman's family blames unvaccinated Americans for her death in scathing obituary: 'She was infected by other who chose not to be. The cost was her life'
The family of a fully vaccinated Illinois woman who died from COVID-19 has blamed the millions of unvaccinated Americans for her death.
Candace Ayers, 66, of Springfield, was vaccinated with the Moderna shot in March along with her husband Terry before being infected with the virus. She died six months later, on September 3 at HSHS St. John’s Hospital.
Her family published an obituary which stated: 'She was preceded in death by more than 4,531,799 others infected with Covid-19.
'She was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be. The cost was her life.'
Her son Marc believes that his mother contracted the virus in July after she and his father went to visit a friend, whose husband died of COVID-19, in Mississippi, where the vaccination rate is only 42%, according to the state's health website.
It is incredibly rare for fully vaccinated Americans to contract a severe breakthrough case of COVID-19 and to die from the disease - and those who have had the shot have less than one in 13,000 chance of a severe breakthrough infection, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of data from the CDC.
More than 99 percent of COVID hospitalizations and deaths in the US since January 2021 have occurred in unvaccinated people.
But of the patients with breakthrough infections who do require hospital care, they are likely to be older or to suffer from three or more underlying medical conditions, such as obesity, gastrointestinal diseases and neurological conditions.
It's not clear if Ayers had any of those underlying health conditions, but her son said that family were concerned for his mother's health ahead of her trip to Mississippi because she had severe rheumatoid arthritis - where the body's immune system attacks its own tissue.
Candace and husband Terry Ayers (left) received their first shot of the Moderna vaccine in February
In Ayers' obituary, it stated: 'She was preceded in death by more than 4,531,799 others infected with Covid-19. 'She was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be. The cost was her life.'
Ayers's son Marc (above) was among family members who blamed the unvaccinated in his mother's obituary
'This all could have been avoided,' Marc Ayers told CNN.
'This could have been prevented by a few acts of kindness. They were in a state that had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Getting a vaccine and wearing a mask for others ... had this been done, she would be here today.'
In early August, he had posted on Facebook urging for people to get vaccinated after both of his fully vaccinated parents had contracted COVID.
'If you’re able to get vaccinated and/or wear a mask but refuse to, just know that your selfish actions are threating (sic) the lives of others,' he said in the post.
'We were responsible, we wore masks indoors, and were so happy to have received a full vaccine so we could exit this pandemic and move on with our lives. Unfortunately some of you bought into the political nature of this crisis and threatened the lives of my family.'
Ayers told USA Today his mother got tested after feeling fatigued on the way home from the trip.
Following his mother's diagnosis, she was admitted to the hospital and was given antibiotics for her symptoms.
She later returned a few days later and was hospitalized for a month with three weeks on a ventilator and developed sepsis.
After suffering severe lung damage, the ventilator was removed and she passed away.
Ayers died from COVID on September 3 at HSHS St John's Hospital, six months after being fully vaccinated in March
The family of Ayers claims she contracted the virus after traveling to Mississippi with her husband Terry (left center), a state with a low vaccination rate
In a Facebook post, Marc Ayers urged for people to get vaccinated after both his parents contracted COVID-19
The overwhelming majority of Covid hospitalizations and deaths in 2021 have occurred in unvaccinated Americans, a DailyMail.com analysis of federal data shows
In her obituary, statistics of the COVID-19 death toll were used to further encourage the unvaccinated which was met with mixed responses.
'It's been really wonderful to hear from friends and strangers regarding the obituary,' Ayers told CNN.
'Because of our story, people have told us they are getting vaccinated.
'Of course, there are negative comments as well, but the majority has been positive.'
The obituary reads that Ayers was 'born on June 28, 1955 in Mobile, Alabama, the daughter of Thomas and Beverly Kruger. Candy was an Air Force brat and lived a short time in Okinawa, Japan where her father was stationed on a military base with her mother. She married Terry Gene Ayers on October 7, 1978.
'Candy graduated from Pawnee High School in 1973. She was an orthodontic assistant for Drs. Sternstein, Bernardy & Groesch for many years before deciding to be a stay-at-home mom to raise her children. After her children were grown, she went back to work for five years at St. John’s Prairie Heart Institute at the Cardiac Cath Lab.
'Candy enjoyed most importantly: Her cup of morning coffee. It had to be the very first thing that touched her lips in the morning and there was never a day that there wasn’t a pot brewing. She loved her soap operas and reality tv and has passed that addiction onto her daughter. She also had a fine knack for speaking her mind, a great eye for detail, an amazing ability to organize, and was quite possibly the best mom, wife, and Gagi in the entire world.
'She is survived by her loving husband of nearly 43 years, Terry of Springfield; her children Marc (Samantha) Ayers of Springfield, and Amanda Foster and her triplet 5-year-old grandchildren Andie, Daniel, and Charlotte Foster of Springfield who were the loves of her life,' the obituary read.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 14,241,348 doses have been administered in the state
According to the Illinois Department of Health, a total of 14,241,348 doses have been administered in the state of Illinois.
In terms of the fully vaccinated, 6,896,869 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated accounting for 54.13% of the population.
There have been 1,728 hospitalizations of fully vaccinated Illinois residents with 432 deaths related to COVID-19 causes or complications.
According to Our World and Data, 382 million doses have been administered in the U.S.
180 million U.S. residents are currently fully vaccinated accounting for 54.7% of the population.
Approximately 63% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose.
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