A husband and wife who refused to get the Covid-19 vaccine have both died from the virus.
Kevin and Misty Mitchem opted out of getting the jab based off what they had seen on social media and repeatedly rejected calls from loved ones and relatives to book their vaccination appointment.
The Virginia man developed a cough in September and despite being sent home from the hospital with cough medicine, he tested positive for the virus a few days later.
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Misty, who was a diabetic, quickly contracted Covid-19 and had to be admitted to hospital.
According to Yahoo News, the 46-year-old's kidneys were only operating at 50 per cent capacity and she was placed on a ventilator.
She died just a few days after getting her coronavirus symptoms on September 23. Two weeks later, Kevin succumbed to his illness as well and died.
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The 48-year-old was described as healthy and didn't have any prior health conditions.
Kevin's brother, Mike Mitchem, told The Free Lance-Star about how Kevin didn't believe health authorities.
"Part of our pain is anger," he said. "Anger because people are still not getting the vaccine. If you think about it, you need to have certain vaccines before you can even go to school. What's the big deal about this one?"
He also told PEOPLE how stubborn Kevin was every time the topic of vaccines came up in conversation.
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"His response to me was to show different memes and stuff that he found on Facebook," he said. "He believed all that to be gospel truth and I could not change his mind."
However, he definitely had a change of heart when he was in hospital and struggling with Covid-19.
He begged health staff to give him the vaccine because he thought that would help him overcome his symptoms, however he was told it was too late for him.
He called his parents before he died and said he was 'scared to death' of dying an expressed his regret at not getting the jab sooner.
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What's particularly heartbreaking is that Kevin and Misty had four children together and Kevin had another child and a grandchild.
These children have now been orphaned and Mike Mitchem has set up a GoFundMe to help them through this difficult time.
He said: "[Kevin and Misty] left behind 5 children and one infant grandson. The purpose of this fundraiser is to provide a bit of relief for his kids who just had their family annihilated.
"We made this for people who wanted to buy flowers; so they can spend their money in a more practical way."
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More than US$20,000 has been raised so far.
Featured Image Credit: NBC WashingtonTopics: News