In the U.S., 2,000 people have died of COVID-19 on average per day over the past week.

The number hasn’t been that high since the winter, when Jessica Alejandro of Queens, New York, lost her grandfather to COVID-19. Joseph Anthony Szalkiewicz was 78.

She said he was eligible to get vaccinated, but it was a chaotic time when vaccines were not easily available and he was holding out to get one from his doctor. Unfortunately, he was still on a waiting list when he died.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young shares Alejandro’s memories of her Papa.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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