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The Virginia family is still recovering from the loss of their 10-year-old daughter.
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Fifth grade Teresa Sperry died after being infected with COVID-19.
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A few weeks later, her brother, 9 years old, vaccinated her with the Pfizer vaccine in honor of her.
After the loss of his 10-year-old daughter in September, the holiday season was difficult for the Sperry family.
“My daughter’s two favorite holidays were Christmas and Halloween,” Jeff Sperry, a family member in Virginia, told insiders. “Halloween was hard because we got her a mask and carved a pumpkin. We took it to her grave and I brought candy for her. It will be difficult for Christmas. “
Teresa Sperry, 10, died of viral complications on September 27, about a month ago. The first coronavirus vaccine for children has been approved.. Jeff and his wife Nicole said she had a high fever and a headache when Teresa, a fifth grader at Hillpoint Elementary School in Suffolk, first began to show symptoms.
“She was very healthy and active. She was a pure soul around other people. She was always the type of person who completely complimented strangers,” Nicole said. “She was around other people and just liked to help.”
It’s not clear how Teresa was infected with the virus, but her parents say she’s left to work in the classroom. Walk a symptomatic child to a nurse’s office A few days before she died.
“She went home and informed me that she was a class nurse, and I said,” What is a class nurse? What is this job? What does it mean? ?”said. And she said it was her job to take the sick or injured to the nurse, “remembered Jeff. “It blew my heart away, one because it’s in the midst of a horrifying pandemic. Two, she hasn’t been vaccinated. Three, no one has this happened to me. Didn’t let me know that I was. I didn’t know. “
The Suffolk Public School conducted an investigation into the case and challenged their allegations, stating that staff were following the school’s COVID-19 protocol.The spokesperson Virginia pilot Theresa only took a student with an ankle injury to the nurse’s office.
“Our staff adhered to the protocol,” a spokesman told the outlet. “If the students are ill, the manager will come and take them. That part was supported.”
“We support what Teresa said to us,” said Nicole Sperry. “She is not the type of person who lied about such things.”
Currently, the Sperry family encourages other parents to vaccinate their children.
Food and Drug Administration Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine approved for children 5 to 11The update was bittersweet for Sperrys.
“I was thrilled to hear the news that it was finally made for children, but it was painful to notice it about a month after Teresa died. It’s too late for her,” he said.
read more: What you need to know about the first licensed coronavirus vaccine for children
In Virginia Ranked as one of the top states Nationwide due to high immunization rates, according to state officials. Virginia health officials said after receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine at ages 5-11, “there was a great deal of interest among parents of infants who wanted to be protected from COVID-19.”
“This is an important step in protecting children from serious illness. If they are fully vaccinated, they will not have to be taken out of class for quarantine, which is a mess at school. It also helps reduce the number of cases, “said Dr. Danny Avra, MD, MPH, Virginia Vaccination Liaison. According to the statement.. The state announced last month and plans to add immunization data for children to the dashboard.
A few weeks after her daughter’s death and Pfizer’s approval, Sperry worked with the local YMCA to host a vaccine clinic in honor of Teresa. Theresa’s 9-year-old brother Michael received his first Pfizer shot at the clinic. The couple said their two teenage sons were also vaccinated.
“We knew that if we were completely vaccinated, we would be safe from COVID,” Michael said after vaccination. Interview with WVEC.. “Seeing people get better is what Teresa has always wanted, and I have always wanted.”
According to her parents, Michael Sperry, who attended the same school as her sister, is now homeschooling.
“We didn’t want to miss that opportunity because she got infected with COVID,” said Nicole Sperry.
They said they would reconsider sending him back to school with other children once he was completely vaccinated.
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