SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Loved ones are mourning the COVID-19 death of a beloved Linda Vista grandfather, who was fully vaccinated.
In April, Hector Delgado received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Kelly, his daughter, says he also received his annual pneumonia vaccine.
“He wanted to make sure that he was protected and stayed with us as long as possible,” said Kelly.
Some four months later, in August, Delgado fell sick, testing positive for COVID-19. Less than a week later, he was placed on a ventilator. In late September, after a month-long battle, Delgado, a father of two and grandfather of three, passed away at the age of 73.
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“I lost my best friend, so it's been very hard for me,” said Kelly.
Kelly calls her dad a family man, outgoing and athletic.
"He had that spirit. He had that energy. He ran two miles on the beach every day,” said Kelly.
Delgado retired from his telecommunications job, but kept working, mostly recently in security.
He had no underlying conditions. Days after he died, the FDA approved booster shots for those 65 and older, which Delgado would have qualified for.
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In the past few days, several new studies have looked at the waning immunity of the Pfizer vaccine. In the studies, the vaccine's protection against hospitalization remained strong, but one of the studies— funded by Pfizer — showed the vaccine's ability to prevent infection drops to less than 50 percent after five months. Another study from Qatar put that number at about 20% in the subsequent months after the four-month mark.
“If that’s what they’re saying now, it’s unfortunate to hear that,” said Kelly.
Kelly has no idea if that factored into her father's death, but believes the vaccines need to be looked into thoroughly.
"Something people don’t talk about are that the fully vaccinated are still drying … We should hear that,” said Kelly.
According to a CDC study released last month, unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
