Within 2 Days, His Dad and His Son Were Dead of COVID

Pennsylvania man shares his story
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 6, 2021 3:25 AM CDT
Updated Oct 6, 2021 7:05 AM CDT
Pennsylvania Man Loses Dad and Son to COVID Within 2 Days
Stock photo.   (Getty Images / beerkoff)

Within a span of about 36 hours, a Pennsylvania restaurant owner lost both his father and his son to COVID-19. Alan Collins Sr., who was almost 72 and was triply vaccinated, died at a Pittsburgh hospital Sept. 28, Alan Collins Jr. tells CNN. Collins' son, Alan David Brown Sr., died the following day. The 35-year-old father of four was not vaccinated, his dad says. The two will also be buried one day apart, WPXI reports.

While Brown also lived in the Pittsburgh area, grandson and grandfather did not live together, and Collins, who is vaccinated, says it was a coincidence both got infected around the same time. Brown was infected after his young son came home from school with the virus, WTAE reports. Collins' dad was a kidney transplant recipient, which Collins believes may have made him more vulnerable to COVID despite having gotten a booster dose of the vaccine after his initial two doses.

As for Brown, his widow says he changed his stance on the vaccine after he got sick: "People need to put their masks on," she says. "People need to get vaccinated." A GoFundMe campaign set up for her and the couple's four children has raised nearly $20,000 so far. (More COVID-19 stories.)

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