An unvaccinated couple in Georgia died from coronavirus within hours of each other, according to their family.
Black couple, Martin Daniel, 53, and his wife Trina Daniel, 49, decision not to get vaccinated was reportedly influenced by the government’s infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study on black men in the 1930s in Alabama where Martin went to college, according to ABC News.
Martin’s nephew Cornelius Daniel told the outlet that his uncle had “a stubborn attitude toward vaccines in general.” He trusted the vaccines that had been around for awhile,” like for polio, but felt the COVID-19 vaccines were developed too quickly.
Still, the couple decided to get vaccinated and set a date for mid-July. They never made it.
In early July, the Daniels thought they’d come down with a common cold and were taking over the counter medication and drinking fluids. But around July 4 their symptoms worsened.
Martin died at home on July 6. Hours later Trina died after she was hospitalized. Doctors confirmed that the couple died from COVID. The Daniels died one week before the date of their vaccine appointment.
Martin and Trina were high school sweethearts who had been married for 22 years. They left behind two teenage children, Miles,18 and Marina, 15 both of whom also tested positive for COVID.
Cornelius told ABC that the teens are “doing well” and “adjusting to the new normal.”
“The only bullets we have right now in our gun are the vaccines,” Cornelius said. “So I would prefer a vaccine over a ventilator every day. Too many families have already experienced the pain that we’re feeling.”
The family has a GoFundMe to raise donations to assist their surviving children with education expenses. Miles is starting college and Marina is beginning her sophomore year at high school.
