Despite what you may be seeing on social medial, the coronavirus pandemic is just a deadly as ever and people are still dying.
Jamesha Waddell, a senior at Livingstone College in North Carolina recently died from COVID-19 complications two months after leaving school to self-isolate.
via People:
Livigston College President Jimmy R. Jenkins Sr. said in a statement that Waddell left the campus on Sept. 19 to self-isolate at home, but her condition worsened during her quarantine and she was hospitalized.
“Our prayers and heartfelt condolences are extended to the Waddell family and her loved ones during this very difficult time. However, we should be reminded that earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal,” Jenkins Sr. said. “May God give us all strength and courage during this difficult time.”
Waddell’s cousin told local news outlet WSOC that other members of the family — including her mother, uncle, grandmother and stepfather — also contracted coronavirus.
In the wake of Waddell’s death, Rep. Alma Adams, a congresswoman who represents North Carolina’s 12th congressional district, urged people to “honor her memory by taking this pandemic seriously.”
Students at Livingstone College held a balloon release in honor of Waddell on Friday, where she was remembered by the student body president Carlee Patterson as being “the life of the school,” the Salisbury Post reported.
Anthony J. Davis, the senior vice president and chief operating officer for Livingstone College, told the newspaper that Waddell was one of fewer than 20 positive COVID-19 cases the school has identified.
“Obviously, she was well-known and loved,” Davis said. “To know her was to love her. She was someone who would light up a room.”
As of Friday, there have been more than 11,883,100 cases of COVID-19 and 253,200 deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses in the United States, according to a New York Times database.
The holidays are approaching and it’s going to be tempting to travel and see family and loved ones, but we can’t stress this enough — stay home.
