Florida man’s funeral becomes COVID vaccination event after Delta variant death

The funeral of a recently deceased Florida man has turned into a hybrid COVID-19 vaccination and testing event.

Marquis Davis, 28, died of the virus on July 26 and was not vaccinated at the time, ABC News reported. Before his situation deteriorated, Davis told his wife he wanted to get the shot after he got out of it.

Davis’ wife Charnese described her husband as a hardworking business owner and loving father. He was also said to have been an all-around attentive family man, taking care of his siblings after their mother passed away in 2012.

Davis reportedly started showing signs of COVID-19 in late July, feeling short of breath and generally unwell before his diagnosis. He was quarantined at home but his condition worsened. Eventually he was hospitalized.

“He was losing his breath just getting up,” Charnese said. “I was like, ‘This is not normal, you need more help.'”

He was later confirmed to have contracted the most contagious virus Delta variant of the virus which has caused an increase in cases across the United States

Davis was reportedly “adamant” not to be vaccinated before hospitalization.

He was put on a ventilator while he was treated in hospital, but after less than a week it was obvious he was not going to make it.

“He was in the hospital,” his wife explained, WFTV reported. “He said, ‘Bae, I’m going to get the shot when I get out of here.’ So he was going to understand. I was like, ‘Well, I’m so glad you said that, but it’s too late.’ “

Davis’s vigil and memorial was turned into a vaccination event after the idea was suggested to his wife by their church, Faith Temple Christian Center in Rockledge, Florida.

The event took place on Friday and will run through Saturday afternoon, offering attendees the Pfizer and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“[Marquis] was 28, had the rest of his life ahead of him, and because of COVID-19, especially this Delta variant, and he wasn’t vaccinated, his life was cut short, ”Dr R. Shaun Ferguson, the pastor of Faith Temple said. “Our position as a church is to get this cup. Let’s do this. I don’t want to see another person lose their life, period.”

“It’s a lot of young adults my age who don’t want to get it or think it won’t affect them,” Charnese said. “But, it affects you. It could have been avoided, so let’s get vaccinated so that it doesn’t happen to you.”

Florida is now considered the epicenter of the current wave in COVID-19, leading the country by far in new cases. The Sunshine State has seen more than 132,000 cases in the past week, according to CDC data, with approximately 56% of residents fully immunized.