Sadly, it has been reported that a Southwest Hawaii flight attendant, Reggie Shepperson, who was fully vaccinated, has died due to COVID. The airline confirmed the death of one of its employees.
Reggie was just 36 years old and was based in Las Vegas, where he died following weeks on a ventilator. The death took place nearly two months after he tested positive following work on flights to and from Hawaii. Reggie had been a Southwest flight attendant since 2012.
His mother said that Reggie was extremely cautious about COVID. She also shared that he took her on his last Southwest Hawaii work trips before contracting COVID. She said that they both tested negative before leaving for Hawaii. Reggie posted on Facebook, “Took mommy on my work trip to Hawaii. I’ll be back to get her tomorrow lol love this woman with all my heart.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up by his friend Marcia Hildreth. She said, “Reggie Shepperson passed away on August 10th from Covid-19. Reggie was a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, and he loved his job! His personality, wit, and humor were just a few characteristics that everyone adored. He was one of the kindest, most giving people I’ve ever known.”
RIP.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
msn.com/en-us/news/us/you-re-crying-mississippi-s-fourth-covid-wave-is-its-worst/ar-AANvzx2?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531
Th above was on the internet this AM.
My Dr. Daughter just finished her rotation, already scheduled on 2 off days as a “Stanby/Back up call physician” Subject to call back (she knows she’ll be called in already). The University has put out a call for more Back up Internists to be available.
Things are looking bleak with the next surge coming.
Just spoke with my Dr. Daughter on her way home from a 14hr shift. The University is bracing for another surge in COVIDS. Their ER alone is 75 beds, today she did Triage. She saw a “large number” of COVIDS ALL in the 20-30 age nonvaccinated, mostly “Healthy Catagory” bracket.
One of her Intensivist Colleagues said her ICU’s are being overwhelmed and she’s getting calls from hospitals in Texas trying to find ICU beds. She also mentioned she got a call from a small hospital with a full ICU that has 10 vents running and only ONE Family Practice Physician to manage the vents.
I know what it’s like to Manage the Respiratory portion for 10-14 vent PLUS the open Heart Fresh Post OPs.
All I can say is God Bless all the medical staff and first responders.
That’s heart wrenching in many ways Bob, not the least is the fact that the Doctors on the front line are giving so much of themselves
to save people’s lives and it didn’t have to happen. Sad also is now in many places people who have had a heart attack, stroke or bad accident are being deprived of an ICU bed that could save their life.
Has to be incredibly frustrating to see people peddling misinformation thats proving fatal for some. I know that sounds harsh but here on Oahu the go to Hospital when someone needs emergency care no longer has room in the ICU due to unvaccinated Covid patients.
My Kid is an Internal Medicine Physician and Asst. Professor at a university medical center, they are over capacity and cannot “divert” as they ARE the University. Other hospitals, ones with low census, maybe diverting to the University patients they either don’t want OR cannot treat. (Known as dumping, actually been going on for years)
She has COVID Team rotations as well as ER Triage Rotations as well as Teaching rotations.
She has told us most of the COVID patients she admits are unvaccinated persons and/OR those that refuse to wear a mask.
Few are fully vaccinated although it “does happen”.
All she can say is get the vaccine, and STILL wear a mask when out in public.
I spent 40 years sticking breathing tubes in peoples throats in ICU’s/ER’s and managing life support machines. Responding to many Code Blues, some successful some not.
Sadly what I saw during that time is many people die alone, without family or friends.
With the various COVID visitor restrictions so many people die under those conditions.
My wife was hospitalized last Sept for a severe GI condition, pretty lonely feeling letting her out of the car at the ER and NOT being allowed in or see her for 4 days until discharged.
None of these ‘vaccines’ will stop you from getting or spreading covid – the clinical ‘trials’ only test for ‘reduced symptoms’. These are facts, not my opinions – easily verifiable. If you think you are protected because you got a vaccine, you have been lied to, I am sad to say.
Also easily verifiable is how less serious the symptoms are for the vaccinated and the fact that the extremely rare occurrence of someone vaccinated dying is a major story.
Hi John.
Thanks for hanging in there with us. We appreciate your nearly 250 comments to date!
Aloha.
Mahalo and stay safe, I guess you saw the Headline in the paper this morning….. Queens ICU is full here on Oahu
and your case load is climbing on Kauai…..saw were it’s 90 percent community spread and primarily unvaccinated
Aloha
Hi John.
Yes, we are aware about Queens. Thanks very much for your participation on Beat of Hawaii!
Aloha.
This is so tragic. This was my biggest concern as I’d mentioned before. I think I was a passenger on one of his flights as I enjoy Southwest and he is very familiar. I’m so saddened to hear this. I’m actually very worried about the effects of the spike protein from the Vax as well as several young and older have had issue. I think we need open dislogue of what’s going on with flight crew dying after vaccination and review cause of death very closely, just to be holistic on data to help others understand. What a horrible thing. He tried his best, he loved his job, and now this. So much Aloha to his grieving family and friends who must be devastated. Tragic loss. Just too sad.
A comment was posted about the perils of this becoming a vax vs anti vax issue and dividing us further. I agree, while I strongly believe in the vaccination, I know people that I like and care about that are anti vax or sadly vax skeptical due to misinformation.
That said Hawaii is in trouble and it appears to be coming to a head. We had one of the lowest infection rates in the country ( world?) early on and now that has all gone away. The culprit is not tourism. Over ninety percent of the hospitalizations are unvaccinated.
The Big Island hospitals worst day in 2020 had 291 Covid patients…by the end of the week they are on track to hit 300.
If someone has a heart attack, sepsis or bad accident they will be denied a bed in intensive care and be stuck in the the ER….because of unvaccinated patients…many (most?) that were victims of misinformation and now wish they had taken the jab that would have almost for sure kept them out of the hospital….I’m struggling with that reality.
Aloha and good luck to us all, no one should die for a simple bad decision.
The story does not always get told, but there is currently a Class Action Law Suit in Hawaii as over 1,200 First Responders refuse to be vaccinated, one a Fire Captain who is 2nd Generation and himself 20+ years has become the face of the situation. That said, there is still the reality that no one broadly talks of the success of Therapuetics, which has been massively and broadly successful, and what was missing because of a false narrative early-on in 2020. This entirely reversed the situation in India! Godspeed to all.
Three more first responders in Florida (unvaccinated) just died in the same week bringing the total first responders death by Covid to over 300. By far the number one line of duty killer of first responders. Happened the same week when 6 unvaccinated members of the same church all died.Covid is currently ravaging the unvaccinated in Florida….
Interesting comment considering the context of the article.
The obvious message is that fully vaccinated people are still able to contract (and spread) covid.
Failing to test everyone (compared to last year) coming to the islands is a flaw in accurately understanding who is spreading covid.
I agree 10,000%!
Do you know of any unvaccinated person who ended up in the hospital. The only people who I know that were in the hospital were actually vaccinated. Friend’s father was in hospital for 6 days after being vaccinated and almost died,he had to be one support. You know what the doctor said when asked if this hospitalization was due to the vaccine? He said yes his hospitalization was absolutely due to the vaccine. I also have 3 friends who died from the vaccine. The hawaii flight attendant who died was vaccinated, he was in the hospital. Just consider, how do you prove what is misinformation and what is not, you can only go by real life experience a d who you know. My mom or I do not know of one single unvaccinated person who has been in the hospital and hospitalized with covid.
There are many nonsensical comments in this string but the one quoted here is one of the worst. I am a ER doc on the frontline in a high transmission city in Texas full of fools who believe this nonsense. I see about 5-7 new cases of sick Covid-19 cases per shift and most are not vaccinated. Almost all of the critically ill Covid cases are unvaccinated. I have treated a few vaccinated cases with severe Covid but they all were immune compromised by an underlying disease or certain medications.
The highly contageous Delta variant most likely arose because so many people in the US refused their vaccine dose. It won’t be the last nasty variant to evolve because many are still unvaccinated.
Good luck to S and his Mom because they will very likely get Covid then come running to the ED for help.
Good luck to everyone. Both my parents and myself got covid already and recovered on our own, never went to the hospital for help. We let our immune systems fight it off naturally and took lots of vitamins and treated our bodies good to help fight it off. My husband also got covid, no hospital visit ever. My husband’s father who has CHRONIC kidney disease and goes to dialysis 3 times a week, got covid as well, didnt need any treatment from the hospital. His brother also got covid after he recovered from cancer, he is now fine. I have also had ER doctors tell me that it is the vaccinated who are filling up the hospitals, including a doctor who said the vaccine is a human experiment, and caused my friend’s father to nearly die. We will take care of our immune system, the best defense of all.
Out of curiosity, how many of the unvaccinated covid patients you mention that were critically ill, how many of those unvaccinated patients also had underlying problems such as compromised immune system by an underlying disease? My guess is a lot of them. Just like patients who die from cancer or heart disease or any other disease, they have a compromised immune system. If more people would take care better care of their immune system and exercise and take less prescription drugs, there would be a lot less.hospital visits I am sure.
Additionally, I know a nurse who works at a hospital, and despite alleged Covid cases going up in the region he works in, he said the hospitals are EMPTY.
msn.com/en-us/news/us/teen-with-covid-left-fighting-for-life-after-deciding-with-mom-not-to-get-vaccine/ar-AANmXbq?ocid=msedgntp
Cut and paste the link above if it doesn’t work.
My daughter is a physician at a University Hospital, capacity 500 beds, they currently are are at 600 patients. Patients in hallways, conference rooms, patients in exam rooms, wherever they can put them.
Not all Covids but many VERY sick people.
I asked about the Delta Variant, she said they don’t bother to test for it specifically as they the treatment regimen is the same for all the COVID cases. They are just trying to get through the crisis.
Well “S” you have made some pretty crazy accusations on here and sound very Q anon based to me.
But what’s sad, and you’re not alone here, is the people that use the argument that “I had Covid and survived, so it’s not that bad”…..really? Covid is like Russian Roulette, we all know that. Good for you if it’s true but that completely disregards those that are not so lucky. You are ok so who cares about those that aren’t?? Even worse is the argument that “if you took care of yourself you would be ok”…..as if the less healthy, immune compromised people, older people or even the gentleman in this story are less important than you. Finally do you really think the hospitals across the country that are getting maxed out with unvaccinated patients and pushing the staff to their limits have all decided to make that up in unison? Narcissism is the other pandemic sweeping this country and it’s sad to see.
Auwe!
Also, it’s easy to claim that the unvaccinated are spreading covid and created the alleged delta variant, even though I have heard medical professionals so that there is no such thing as a variant, covid has never been isolated either. However, per medical professionals the vaccinated are actually the ones spreading Covid, hence so many vaccinated friends of mine testing positive for covid. I do not personally know of one single unvaccinated person who has tested positive for covid, including myself when I took a covid test in order to fly.
Re John’s comment on me dismissing immune compromises individuals, my husband’s father has a compromised immune system, he has chronic kidney disease and has to go to dialysis 3 times a week, just so that his kidney won’t fail. My husband’s father is an example of someone who depends on hospital treatment 3 times a week must to stay alive. He contracted COVID, and despite his chronic kidney disease, he survived covid, without needing any hospital treatment. He actually handled COVID better than myself and my husband. I am just trying to encourage people to improve their immune system and stay healthy so they have better chances of fighting off any disease, make sure you get vitamin d from the sun, rake vitamin c, melatonin and niacin. Research.
Aloha, So nice to read about your tolerance for people who choose a different path. I’ve loved ones who got vaxxed first opportunity. Their peace of mind and feeling of having some control during a time of madness was itself beneficial. I’ve close friends who are holistic centered, intelligent and compassionate who’ve rejected CV vaccines and take all protective measures whenever in public. They are truly no threat to anyone.
It’s distressing to see one group attacked by the other in various media outlets and on social media, as factions from each side often do.
■ Skepticism about these vaccines isn’t soley from ‘Disinformation’,though.■
The precedents of Government / Media / Big Pharm mistakes / recalls / abuses and even outright Crimes Against Humanity are Very Real. We as a society simply didn’t do the Hard Work necessary to get to a place where We The People can trust with complete confidence whatever we’re being told.
The Tuskegee Syphilis Expiriemts on Black males 1970s wasn’t that long ago. Now, the low vax demographic African Americans are being patronized as ‘vaccine ignorant’ and in need of targeted campaigns to help get them on board…. Please.
I don’t fault anyone mistrustful of Politicians, haha. Nor of Media Outlets or Pharmacuetical Billionaires. I don’t blame the so called Disinfo Spreaders half as much as the authorities and experts telling us we really can and must Trust Them – This Time. They’ve a lousy track record.
As a CoHeart of Reggie ❤️💙💛 it’s hard to lose one of our own. RIP Reggie and thoughts and prayers to his mom and entire family 🙏
Breakthrough covid is much more common than people know. I know two people personally who have contracted covid fully vaccinated, and struggled.
God Bless Reggie and his family. God Bless all of us.
We are in this together. We have to see ourselves as ONE big family.
Serve one another
Love one another
Remember God
When you are broken-hearted the Lord is close to you!!! In the book of Psalms😇😍
Oh I wish that covid 19 never existed! Prayers & thoughts to Reggie’s family &coworkers!!
I was fully vaccinated with Pfizer a number of months ago and got Covid-19. I tested positive on PCR. Its wasn’t a mild case either! I had to get the monoclonal antibody infusion and I’m a very healthy person. I still believe vaccine helped me but wish I hadn’t let my guard down and continued to wear my mask even though I was fully vaccinated…so be careful! Blessings to you all especially Reggies family❣️
Are you sure on the varient? When reporting you must be 100% sure.
Soooooo sad:( May Reggie RIP and may God give his family and friends peace and grace to deal with the days ahead! It just goes to show you that when it’s our time to go, it’s our time, no matter what! By the way, I went back to donate for his funeral to the “Go Fund Me” link that I saw before, but it’s gone:(
My deepest sympathy to Reggie’s mom & others. I didn’t know Reggie; however, I’ll just bet he was a fine person.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the flight attendant who sadly lost his life my condolences to his mum family friends n colleagues 🙏❤
Thank you for highlighting everything about hawaii it’s my dream place ❤
msn.com/en-us/health/medical/covid-nurse-angered-and-frustrated-over-preventable-resurgence/vi-AANkrs7?ocid=msedgntp
Hopefully this link works, people STILL don’t get it, there ARE long lasting effects of COVID even IF you survive. If you want to live on supplemental Oxygen for the rest of your life, be brain damaged, have kidney damage, etc then please don’t bother trying the vaccine, it MAY save you life or allow a lessor infection of the virus. Leave it for those of us who are immunosuppressed.
If you take medications that depress your immune system or have any diseases that compromise your immune state or make you more susceptible to infection, the vaccines may not generate enough of an antibody level to prevent death. Therefore, the CDC recommends another booster for these people.
Reggie is a hero for trying the serve the public during the pandemic. He probably died because someone refused to get their vaccine.
He may have contracted covid from a vaccinated person who felt so protected that they took liberties and didn’t mask up or do social distancing. Remember, vaccinated people are able to carry covid and be asymptomatic. All people who fly to Hawaii must have a negative covid test. It’s not right for you to be placing blame while hypothesizing.
Thank you Ilona for making your comment – I agree with you. I am more worried now about the divide that is being created about “vaccinated” vs. “not vaccinated.” 🙁
Thank you Beat of Hawaii for all of your timely updates. Very helpful and informative.
I live in Hawaiii. Personally I wouldn’t get in a plane at all.
Can you confirm if he was vaccinated or not?
Article states was fully vaccinated
Which vaccine did he have? Eg. J&J has less efficacy. Condolences to Reggie and his family.
That really guts me. My heart breaks for everyone affected. This doesn’t have to happen; anyone sitting on the fence, think about Reggie, think about his mother. We are our brother’s keepers.
What a sweet, kind young man who deeply loved his mother and was a joy to work with. God bless and comfort his family in this time.
So sad to see the personal stories of this pandemic. Really sad when you think of the odds of being young and vaccinated to die are, although the story didn’t say if he was fully immune over two months ago when he contracted Covid. Never the less you have to really feel for his loved ones that lost him to such a remote chance of this happening. Kind of like when you hear about a young athlete in apparently excellent health dying of a heart attack.
Sadly there will likely people that will take this and blow it out off proportion to try and support an anti vax rant based on misinformation and ignoring the reality that tens of thousands of lives have been saved by the vaccine.
Amazing how random and unpredictable this virus is….the only think we can do is get vaccinated, wear a mask when appropriate and then realistically go on with your life knowing full well your chances of dying from Covid have just dropped below many of life’s other random tragedies like cancer and automobile accidents.
“although the story didn’t say if he was fully immune over two months ago when he contracted Covid.”
JohnW, Why would the story tell you that he was “fully immune” when he contracted covid, when none of these vaccines produce immunity? If you have any notion that they do, then you need to actually do some research, instead of assuming or listing to others. From the beginning, none of these manufactures claim their drug produces immunity.
instagram.com/tv/CSVsKdBjeYc/?utm_medium=copy_link
A video telling the truth about the vaccine, certainly not what you call misinformation. I thought the vaccine was supposed to prevent people from ending up in the hospital, perhaps it is the vaccinated ending up in the hospital? You have to wonder. Also,the vaccinated can still spread covid, you have to wonder if this poor guy was infected from a vaccinated person, since they are the ones traveling right now because they feel safe now, and because they can travel easier now. Higher chances of the vaccinated spreading covid because there is a higher percentage of people that have been vaccinated, hence a higher percentage of people on planes have probably been vaccinated.
Why are the vaccinated not being tested before flying, there could very well be vaccinated people flying all around spreading covid to the unvaccinated. I had to take a covid test in order to fly, and tested negative, so I got to fly. Seems more plausible that it would be the vaccinated spreading covid simcethey arent testing for covid before flying.
What a wonderful young man. He will surely be missed by all that knew him.
Prayers for his Ohana and friends. May his mother find peace in knowing how much he loved her. What a horrible thing to lose a child to this awful virus that so many people don’t believe is real.
God rest his soul and may he watch over his loved ones as their new guardian Angel.
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💕💔🙏🏼🙏🏼
RIP
I am so sorry to hear about flight attendant Reggie passing away. Sounds like he tried to do everything right. I strongly believe in the vaccine, but there are people that either don’t or could be a carrier and not know it, and he came in contact with someone. My heartfelt prayers to his family and friends
May God Bless and Keep you. You will be missed by all who knew you and those you’ve taken care of.
Poor guy. RIP
Praying for his family & friends.
This is sad news and it makes you wonder how it could have happened. With 99% of the cases on Kauai being those of locals who travelled to and from the mainland, was that the reason? It does make you question the security of being vaccinated. I don’t know how strict Southwest is about masking but I know Hawaiian was strict when we flew last week.
I was thinking the same thing. We plan to go to Kauai in November and because of the Hawaii Safe Travel rules are feeling good about it. Are we wrong?
SUSAN C… I personally have come to the conclusion that all you can do is get vaccinated and then exercise common sense. People are asking are we safer at home? Why would you be? In Hawaii, you’ll be out doors more than at home! This whole situation has almost come down to luck-of-the-draw. We don’t know if that gentleman was immunocompromised or not. We’ll never know if he was just sadly a statistical fluke. Personally, I’m tired of giving up my life – no, I won’t go to concerts – no, I will avoid eating in restaurants as much as possible (at home, we don’t – on Kauai, we bring dinner home to our condo so we can drink our wine and not have to drive) – no, will I get on a tour bus with others who may or may not be vaccinated – no, when I fly, will I wear a heavier or N95 mask? This is going to go on for a long time to come and my love for Hawaii (Kauai) will rule over angst! Aloha!
We just got back from a week on Kauai and a week on the Big Island. I can say from our perspective we felt FAR safer on both islands than any of our family felt in the places we were gathering from on the mainland – IL, SC, KY, TN and OK. We went to a farmer’s market the day after our arrival, and virtually everyone from toddlers to grandmothers and grandfathers was masked – as were we. I will say that it was very clear which folks had come in from mainland states where masking has become a de facto sign of political allegiance – they were clearly unaccustomed to wearing them, but they did wear them. We’ve been home a day, and the difference is night and day – while nothing is a sure thing with this virus in all its variants, go, mask up except where you aren’t going to be exposed or when in the outdoors in the open, have a great time, and support the local businesses and workers.
Thank you sharing Reggie’s story. Maybe people will think twice before they ignore masking rules or get a fake vaccine card. Our selfishness is killing others. For those who asked, Southwest is very strict about masking, but there is always someone who tries to ignore the flight attendants. We have flown to Hawaii 3 times since Dec 2020 & always felt safe, though our last return flight was literally 100% capacity. It may be time for airlines to rethink the open middle seat. We are making our 1st visit to Kauai early Sept. We ate fully vaccinated since March, but we will still do the 72hr PCR test before we go to keep us & others safe. Flying & visiting Hawaii is a privilege, not a right. Mahalo BOH.
Hi Suzanna.
Thanks for your comment, the many others, and for your trip reporting.
Aloha.
@Suzanna G.
Southwest is not strict about masking. If they were, they would send the flight attendants down the aisles throughout the flight to verify, even for simple things like masks not fully covering the nose when people fall asleep, etc.
@Jwu I have flown w/ Southwest 5 times in the last 7mos & on EVERY flight, attendants do repeatedly ask passengers to keep their mask fully over their nose & mouth at all times, even when sleeping. Only exception in the moment of taking a bite or drink. Unfortunately, there are always people who will ignore them. Too many flight attendants have been verbally & physically attacked for trying to keep people compliant. We all checked the box that we would comply when we bought our tickets & again when we checked in for our flight. The thorough lack of respect for others is what’s killing us. Mahalo