A family has been left heartbroken by the death of two high school sweethearts, who died on the same day after being infected with Covid. The two had not been vaccinated.
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An Eye-Opener
Alvaro Fernandez, 44, and his wife Sylvia, 42, from Southern California, died within hours of each other on December 19. The two met in high school at the age of 15 and had been married for 25 years. Both tested positive for the virus days before their death.
Alvaro’s sister, Alma Hernandez, said her brother refused to get vaccinated despite having underlying conditions including diabetes. She told NBC Los Angeles:
He wanted to wait and do more research. He Googled information. He didn’t want to believe everything that was on the news. This is kind of an eye opener for everybody in my family that whoever is not vaccinated definitely should have their vaccines.
His wife, Sylvia, was believed to have been unopposed to the idea of getting jabbed but had just never got around to it.
‘One Couldn’t Live Without The Other’
Her brother-in-law Salvador Fernandez said the pair were ‘very close’, adding:
One couldn’t live without the other, you know? The same day my brother died, she died.
They are survived by four children, including 17-year-old twins.
Relatives started a fundraising page to support their four children, with thousands of dollars of donations already pouring in.
The spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant has driven Covid-19 cases in the United States to a record high.
Even people fully vaccinated are susceptible to catching it, although according to health officials, they are far less likely to become severely ill, wind up hospitalized or die.
