Maurice "Reggie” Shepperson was positive for COVID-19 and died Tuesday, his family and friends informed USA TODAY. Marcia Hildreth/GoFundMe
USA TODAY reported that a Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was vaccinated for COVID-19 died on Tuesday.
According to his mother, Maurice Shepperson was placed on a ventilator at a Las Vegas hospital.
Shepperson, who had flown to Hawaii in June, was positive for COVID-19, USA TODAY reported.
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His family and friends informed USA TODAY that a Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was fully vaccinated died of COVID-19 on Thursday, less than two months after testing positive for the disease during a work trip in Hawaii.
Dawn Shepperson told the paper that Maurice Reginald Shepperson, 36, had died Tuesday.
Shepperson was positive for coronavirus early in July, Marcia Hildreth (a friend and fellow Southwest flight attendant) told USA TODAY.
Hildreth, his mother and father both confirmed that he had been fully vaccinated.
Data from the CDC revealed that more than half of Americans have had two shots. This means they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Recent UK research has shown that two vaccines can reduce the chance of contracting the Delta variant infection by between 50% and 60% compared to people who are not vaccinated. A UK study that was completed in July also found that AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines were effective at preventing symptoms of COVID-19.
USA TODAY learned that Shepperson used to fly to Hawaii frequently for work. His mother said this to USA TODAY. She said that she was with Shepperson on one of the June trips. His mother stated that this was the last flight he took for Southwest before he tested positive for the virus.
Insider reached out to Southwest for comment. USA TODAY was informed Tuesday by a spokesperson for Southwest, who declined to give any further details.
Shepperson was admitted to a Las Vegas hospital for one month. He was placed on a ventilator. His mother Hildreth and Hildreth shared their story with USA TODAY.
His mother said that it hurt him so much because it happened so quickly. "I didn’t have the time to even acknowledge what was happening."
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His mother spoke out to the Las Vegas Review-Journal separately, saying that Shepperson drove herself to the hospital after he said he couldn’t breathe.
Hildreth created a GoFundMe account on Friday in order to raise funds for Shepperson's funeral expenses. It has already raised nearly $4,500.
The spokesperson stated that they were heartbroken by the loss of Southwest's employee in a statement to the newspaper. "We are unable to provide additional information out of respect for the family.
According to a CNN report, Southwest is one the three US airlines that do not require employees to have the shot. Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, stated that the company would "continuely strongly encourage" employees to get vaccinated but will not require them to do so.
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 55% of Americans had been vaccinated in February. This number rose to 69% by July.
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