Family of unvaccinated Florida father organise Covid testing, vaccinations at his funeral

The family of an unvaccinated Florida man offered vaccines and Covid testing during his wake and funeral

The dying wish of an unvaccinated Florida father prompted his family to turn his funeral into a Covid vaccination and testing event.

Marquis Davis, 28, a married business owner from Cocoa, fell ill in late July and, within days of being hospitalized, it became apparent that the virus was going to win. He had been hesitant to get the vaccine but told his vaccinated wife, Charnese, from his sick bed that he’d changed his mind and wanted to receive it if he recovered.

“He was in the hospital. He said, ‘Bae, I’m going to get the vaccine when I get out of here,’” his wife told local ABC affiliate WFTV. So he was going to get it. I was like, ‘Good, I’m so happy you said that, but it’s too late.’”

In honour of Mr Davis, his family decided to offer Covid testing and vaccinations to coincide with his wake and funeral. The wake took place on Friday and the funeral was set for Saturday Dr R Shaun Ferguson, pastor of Faith Temple Christian Center, told The Independent that around 15 people had been vaccinated and 30 tested as of Saturday afternoon, but the process was ongoing.

“People were actually leaving the funeral and going across the street and getting vaccinated,” Dr Ferguson told The Independent. His church has been active in promoting proper information about the vaccine and encouraging community members to register, but this was the first time efforts had been held “in conjunction with a funeral home or wake”, he said.

Florida is quickly becoming a Covid epicentre in the US, recording its highest daily count this week since the beginning of the pandemic. The state reported 22,783 new cases on Thursday, 1,100 more than Florida’s previous single-day case count record last Saturday, according to the CDC.

The state helped support the vaccination and testing event in honour of Mr Davis, Dr Ferguson told The Independent. He added that the unusual funeral and wake arrangements were going “exceedingly well” and he felt members of the community were truly taking notice after the young father’s death and subsequent publicity.

“What we’re seeing is more and more young people are dying,” he said. “Before, if you remember, it was just the older population – so I think it’s just opening the eyes of young people.”