‘Inseparable’ Arizona couple die within days of each other of Covid

According to their children, the couple were not vaccinated and both suffered health issues

The United States has reported over 57 million Covid-19 cases so far (PA Archive)

A couple in Arizona, married for more than 44 years, died of Covid-19 over the holidays on separate floors in the same hospital.

Bob and Sue Waller found out that they were infected with Covid-19 just before Thanksgiving when the woman was tested in the hospital while being treated for a potential another ailment. Mr Waller took a home test after his wife tested positive.

Ms Walker died at a hospital in Phoenix on 30 November, while Mr Walker succumbed to the disease on 2 December.

“They were truly, truly a couple, you know,” their daughter Stephanie Walker, 40, told CNN. “I mean, nothing could come in between them. And, unfortunately, Covid took them both within 46 hours of each other.”

According to their children, the couple were not vaccinated and both suffered from health issues. Mr Walker had suffered from kidney problems in the past and had recently had his foot amputated due to complications from diabetes, their son Jonathan Walker said.

While initially Mr Walker was on ventilator support, Ms Walker’s condition seemed to be improving as she was able to move around and walk. She reportedly spoke and even made an “I love you” sign with her hand in a video taken just 24 hours before her death.

The siblings set up a FaceTime between their parents, so their mother could talk to their father. Ms Walker kept staring at the phone, and “then she kind of woke up out of it and was like: ‘Mate, you got to get better. We got to go home for Christmas, mate’”.

“I truly think that at that moment my mom’s heart broke,” their son said.

The United States has been witnessing a monumental spike in Covid-19 cases amid the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. So far, the country has recorded more than 57 million cases of infection and 832,118 related deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.