The family of a Florida man is expressing their anger over his death from COVID-19 by using his obituary to blame anti-vaxxers.
"Clark R. Allen of Lantana, Florida, passed away on July 22, 2021, at the age of 84," the obituary reads. "Clark died due to COVID-19. He was infected by someone who chose to not get vaccinated and his death was preventable."
Allen's daughters, Danielle and Nicole, say their father was vaccinated in January 2021. He was vulnerable to catching COVID, not just because of his age but because he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a terminal lung disease known more commonly as COPD. He took precautionary measures and followed guidance from health officials, including wearing a mask.
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When Allen was diagnosed with COVID on July 8, the whole family was puzzled. He was living at an assisted living facility, Carlisle Palm Beach, where they assumed he would be safe from the virus.
"He was the hospital's first vaccinated COVID case," Danielle told 10 Tampa Bay. "He was in a state of shock. I think we all thought he was safe. He did too."
Allen was hospitalized for a few days and then released. That's when things took a turn for the worse.
"Within 12 hours of being released from the hospital, he was unable to breathe on his own," Danielle told the station.
Doctors told Allen's daughters to prepare for hospice, as his lungs were too weak to handle a ventilator. Fourteen days after he was initially diagnosed, he died.
Allen's daughters believe he was infected by an unvaccinated person at the assisted living facility where he lived the last year of his life.
"The only place he was unmasked was in the assisted living," Danielle said.
It's not know how, when or where Allen contracted the virus. In any event, Allen's family said his death should serve as a reason for getting vaccinated -- to protect not only yourself but those around you. They also included their plea in his obituary.
"It is the wish of his family that everyone get vaccinated in order to prevent further death, sickness and heartbreak."
Allen leaves behind seven children, 17 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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