Milwaukee family devastated by COVID-19 death of relative

A grim word of caution comes from a Milwaukee family dealing with death and devastation. 

Though her face is covered, Latoya Davis is unable to mask her pain.

"If my grandmother would have stayed at home, she would have been here this holiday season," Davis said.

Latoya Davis

Davis is hurt by the loss of her 80-year-old grandmother Dorothy Davis, who she said died from COVID-19.

"I know death is a part of life. But I felt like her death was premature," Davis said.

Against Davis' wishes, Dorothy went to live with relatives during the height of the pandemic. 

"Subsequently, after my grandmother moved in with that relative, the whole house ended up infected," Davis said. "The initial transmission we believe is a relative who traveled from out of town."

As we approach Thanksgiving, Davis is bothered by seeing millions of people defy CDC warnings of traveling to see loved ones.

"People want to live," Davis said. "Stay at home, call them, Zoom, Google Meets. Do untraditional things to accommodate what has happened because what happened is untraditional," Davis said.

With Davis' world now rocked, this holiday will not be traditional either.

"My daughter, I was trying to be strong. She said can we go visit granny for Thanksgiving. We know where granny is she is at a cemetery. But she wants to go visit her for Thanksgiving," Davis said.

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Davis continues to plead with the public.

"We need to be vigilant about saving lives and being careful about where we go and what we do," Davis said. "Hopefully with our vigilance, that loved one who we had no contact with can make it to the next holiday and we can visit with them."

Davis said the family members living with her grandmother were able to be treated and recovered. She knows anyone can get sick from COVID-19, but urges those most susceptible to take even more precautions.

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