Fully Vaccinated Detroit Woman Who Only Had Mild Symptoms Dies Of COVID-19

KEY POINTS

Madigan had developed a sinus infection months after her second vaccine shot
She was later put on oxygen and a ventilator
At least 87% of all breakthrough deaths in the US occurred in people over the age of 65

A retired teacher from Detroit has died of COVID-19 several months after being fully vaccinated against the virus.

Suzanne Martha Madigan, a retired teacher who taught in the Grosse Pointe Public School System for 26 years, had been fully vaccinated since February when she began experiencing mild symptoms.

Madigan had developed a sinus infection in April. Her doctor, who she consulted via a telehealth appointment, said her symptoms suggested she had a sinus infection, for which he gave a prescription, the Detroit Free Press reported.

However, Madigan’s daughter, Kelly Salamango, encouraged her mother to get tested for COVID-19. The test later came back positive.

Over the next week, Madigan had become overly tired. She was later brought to the hospital after her oxygen levels dropped. Doctors initially put Madigan on oxygen before she was put on a ventilator after her oxygen levels dropped again.

Madigan died on May 16 at Ascension St. John Hospital. She was 74.

“It's surreal that she has gone through so much the last few years. We thought she was more protected from the virus since she was fully vaccinated and was very cautious if she had to go out,” Salamango told Detroit Free Press.

“Yet the virus was just too powerful. We do find comfort in knowing she's reunited with our dad, her brother Duke, and her parents and other sister Nancy, who have all passed before her.”

As of Aug. 30, 12,908 fully vaccinated people have been hospitalized or died of COVID-19. Female patients accounted for 48% or 5,059 of total breakthrough hospitalizations and 44% or 1,082 or the total number of breakthrough deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the agency’s data, at least 70% of all hospitalizations and 87% of all breakthrough deaths occurred in people over the age of 65.

Experts say breakthrough cases are expected, noting that none of the currently available vaccines are 100% effective in preventing a COVID-19 infection.

Experts are still urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, noting that the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. Unvaccinated people are also 29 times more likely to be hospitalized from the novel coronavirus compared to vaccinated people, a recent study in Los Angeles County found.