A fully vaccinated Southwest Airlines flight attendant has died from
COVID-19 nearly two months after he tested positive following a work trip to
Hawaii.
Maurice 'Reggie' Shepperson, 36, who was based in
Las Vegas, died at Henderson Hospital on Tuesday after spending weeks on a ventilator.
He had checked into the hospital on July 7, weeks after testing positive following his trip to Hawaii in early June.
Shepperson's mother said her son had taken every precaution against the virus, including getting fully vaccinated, wearing a mask, washing his hands frequently and sanitizing surfaces.
He is among a very small fraction of Americans who have died after suffering 'breakthrough' coronavirus infections after vaccination.
Shepperson had been a flight attendant since 2007 and has worked for Southwest for nine years.
Dubbed 'high flyer' by his co-workers, Shepperson was known to pick up more work trips than any other flight attendant, both for the money and the ability to travel to new places.
A flight attendant from his training class Kiki Lee told USA Today: 'He was hitting the skies right way, using his benefits. He loved working, and he loved the perks.'
One of Shepperson's first trips was to China, shortly after graduating from flight school.
Fully vaccinated Southwest flight attendant, 36, dies from COVID-19 after trip to Hawaii | Daily Mail Online
Funeral expenses for Reggie Shepperson, organized by Marcia Hildreth