According to family and co-workers a Las Vegas based flight attendant died from COVID-19. Maurice “Reggie” Shepperson tested positive for the coronavirus in July. A Southwest flight attendant, Marcia Hildreth, who called Reggie her best friend said that he had been fighting in a hospital from a month but didn’t survive.
His mother Dawn Shepperson told USA Today that her son was on a ventilator and had died on Tuesday and a nurse told her that the death was due to COVID-19. The 36-year-old had been fully vaccinated, used to wear masks, washed his hands, sanitized surfaces, and wiped everything down in hotel rooms according to his mother and friend.
Southwest Airlines spokesperson Brandy King confirmed that an employee based in Las Vegas had died on Tuesday but did not provide details. King said in a statement that they were heartbroken over the loss of their Southwest employee. It also stated that out of respect for the family they did not have additional information to share.
Shepperson’s mother, Dawn said that the airlines had contacted her and Hildreth said that the airlines had made arrangements for her to fly back to Vegas on Wednesday.
Shepperson worked throughout the pandemic. He never tested positive except in July. He was called a highflyer by co-workers. He worked on many flights since 2007 partly because of money and partly because he wanted to travel whenever he could. He had taken his mother along with him to Hawaii, in June. He had been with the airlines for nine years.
The Association of Flight Attendants -CWA, an organization that represents flight attendants who work at United, Frontier, Spirit, Hawaiian airlines and more said that 4000 flight attendants across the nation had contracted COVID-19 and 20 have died.
A huge majority of COVID-19 cases across the nation have been among the unvaccinated and the few breakthrough cases have been mild or asymptomatic. However, no vaccine can offer 100 percent protection, so the young man unfortunately succumbed to the virus. Some professions face more health hazards when compared with others.
Hildreth has started a GoFundme page to help with the cost of his funeral expenses.
Image Go Fund Me
