COVID-19 claimed the lives of a fully vaccinated Michigan couple who died one minute apart while holding hands.
The virus struck both the husband, 59, and wife, 66, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, in September, just before a family camping trip. Both have underlying medical issues.
The Grand Rapids couple, according to their surviving daughter Sarah, were churchgoers and outdoor enthusiasts who prioritized their family.
Sarah told Fox 17, "The love that they found together after a prior marriage is great." “They were the people that you just looked at and you were like, ‘I want to be old like that, I want that love when I’m that age.’”
“[My father] contacted me before our family camping trip and said he wasn't feeling well but thought it was just a sinus infection, and [Linda] caught it and said, 'He gave me his cold,'” Sarah explained.
“They woke me up on the third day and said, ‘We have to leave because we don't feel well.' So I packed them all up and they left,” she said.
The couple was taken to the hospital and put on ventilators a few days later.
They were taken off life support and pronounced dead on Monday, according to The New York Post. Cal passed away at 11:07 a.m., and Linda passed away a minute later. Both of them were clearly holding hands.
“She would always jest and say, ‘Well, you're going to go before me, I swear I'll be right after you.' “And she was, like she was right there behind him,” Sarah said to Fox 17.
There are no vaccines that guarantee 100% protection against a virus. The coronavirus vaccinations from Pfizer and Moderna have a 95 percent effectiveness rate. The Johnson & Johnson vaccination has a 77 percent overall effectiveness rate.