WASHINGTON – Former US Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin L. Powell passed away this morning due to a COVID-19 infection.
Powell’s death from COVID-19 is one of the most significant American public figures who died after a severe COVID-19 infection. Powell’s death raised significant concerns from the public, especially since Powell was also a vaccinated citizen.
Dr. Gwen Nichols, the Chief Medical Officer of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, associated Powell’s death to multiple myeloma “that suppresses the body’s immune response.” Powell’s disease made him more vulnerable to any infection, eventually death.
Nichols also presented the likelihood that the person who infected Colin Powell could be asymptomatic. However, despite Powell’s death, Nichols asserts that his death does not relate to the vaccine’s overall efficacy.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar of Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, explains how the anti-vaccine movement uses Powell’s death to destroy the public’s confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine.
However, Powell’s death increases the importance of citizens receiving the vaccine to increase their protection against the virus.
Dr. Adalja asserts the fact that Colin Powell was an 84-year-old with a severe disease. Adalja reassures the public that the vaccines decrease the likelihood of death from COVID-19.
The family of General Powell released a statement through a Facebook post saying, “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather, and a great American.”
