College student who promised his mom he would get vaccinated at school dies from Covid-19

Despite not having any medical conditions, he contracted the virus three days after returning to college

North Carolina college student Tyler Gilreath died of Covid-19 (Facebook/ Tamra Demello)

A 20-year-old North Carolina student, who was hesitant about getting the coronavirus shot, died of complications after catching Covid-19 three days after returning to college.

Tyler Gilreath, a student at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, died on Tuesday after testing positive for the coronavirus, which he contracted just days after returning to college.

The student, according to his mother Tamra Demello, thought his age would protect him from the virus. "I cajoled, encouraged, threatened, and nagged for him to get vaccinated. He was too busy and/or concerned about the possible long term heart issues," Ms Demello shared on social media.

Gilreath had agreed to get the vaccine as soon as he moved to school but did not get the chance.

"I am devastated beyond belief," his mother added.

Gilreath fell severely ill just three days after moving to college and developed a sinus and staph infection that went on for three weeks before moving into his brain. He developed a brain abscess that ruptured last week. He was briefly conscious after going to the hospital, but the blood flow to his brain stopped. Eventually last Friday a scan showed that he had irreversible brain damage.

He died on 28 September after he was taken off life support.

His mother maintains that Gilreath did not have any pre-existing health conditions. He was a computer science student and loved to wakeboard, water ski, and snow ski.

Ms Demello urged parents to "use whatever guilt tactic" it takes to convince their children to get vaccinated.

"Legally, they are adults. You really can't actually make them go. But I would use whatever guilt tactic I could possibly come up with. I would try taking them to see if they would go," she told reporters.

Gilreath has signed up to be an organ donor when he got his license. "Tomorrow his body will be harvested so up to 80 people can live or enjoy more normal lives with the gift of his organs, skin, tendons, ligaments, etc," his mother wrote.

"He will live on in my heart and through those recipients. I know he is with god, but the hole in my life he leaves will never go away," she added.

As colleges and universities in the United States get ready to open their campuses for the fall semester, education administrators across the country have made vaccination a prerequisite condition for students and faculty.