A family's heartbreaking obituary for a grandmother has blamed anti-vaxxers for her death.
Candace Ayers, 66, died of Covid earlier in September after spending the last weeks of her life hooked to a ventilator in an intensive care unit.
Her family say the doting grandmother suffered with rheumatoid arthritis so was relieved when she became fully vaccinated in the spring of 2021.
However, Candace, from Illinois, US, took a trip to see a friend and after returning home tested positive for the virus.
In her obituary slamming those who refuse to get vaccinated, her family described how she "was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be", saying those people "cost her her life".
Speaking to abc news, her son said: "We did everything asked of us. We got vaccinated as a family and my mum was adamant about other people doing the same thing.
"It upset the entire family not just mum when others go unvaccinated and won't get the shot or refuse to wear masks and social distance."
However, Candace's son said his mother's legacy was already beginning to make a mark, with people getting in touch saying they had changed their mind about getting the vaccine after the family's story.
It comes as the US sees varying rates of vaccination uptake across states.
For the first time in its history, the state of Alabama recorded more deaths than births in 2020 - with 64,714 total deaths compared to 57,641 births.
Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama’s state health officer told a news conference: "Our state literally shrunk in 2020.
"We’ve never had a time when deaths exceeded births."
