- In July 2020, Broadway star Nick Cordero died at the age of 41 from complications caused by COVID-19.
- His wife, Amanda Kloots, told People magazine that she received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
- She waited at a location in LA and received a dose that would have otherwise been dropped, she said.
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Amanda Kloots is the wife of the late Tony Award nominated Broadway actor, Nick Cordero, who died in July 2020 at the age of 41 from complications of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Cordero leaves Kloots and his 1-year-old son, Elvis, who was born in June 2019.
Kloots, 38, said on Friday that he received his first dose of Pfizer-
Fitness trainer and co-host of CBS talk show “The Talk” shared an Instagram post on Friday detailing her experience of receiving the first dose of the vaccine.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, healthcare professionals and people 65 and older in the county are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
In her post, Kloots said she went to a COVID-19 vaccination post and was prepared to wait to see if the staff responsible for the site had any remaining doses at the end of their scheduled appointments.
“I was fully prepared to be rejected, but they said they had enough tonight for everyone who waited. I can’t say how excited I was and I am still now, ”said Kloots.
Kloots told People magazine on Saturday that after sharing her experience on Instagram, she was criticized by some users for being vaccinated, despite not being eligible to make an appointment under public health mandates.
Screenshots of Amanda Kloots’s Instagram story posts from Friday.
@ amandakloots / Instagram
But Kloots defended his decision for People and pointed to it using a remaining dose that “otherwise, it would have been thrown away”.
“We took a risk as I said, and anyone can try – and the fact that there was some reaction, took away this beautiful and exciting moment for me,” she told the outlet. “Shaming the vaccine shouldn’t be happening especially when you’re waiting in line and that it would otherwise have been thrown out.”
She added in an Instagram story that she believes her action was not a case of “celebrity privilege”, but an example of “unforgiving mother”.
“I am very happy and extremely grateful that we took a risk, and it could easily not have worked,” Kloots continued in the People interview. “We could have been rejected and that would be fine. People have been doing it and you just have to be willing to wait. Every arm this vaccine goes on is a beautiful thing. We shouldn’t be ashamed of anyone who gets this vaccine it will help America back on track. “
Kloots’ late husband, Cordero, was treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than 90 days in 2020 after receiving a diagnosis of pneumonia. On April 1, 2020, he tested positive for the new coronavirus and was intubated. The former Broadway “Rock of Ages” star was put into an induced coma and had her right leg amputated due to complications from the disease.
Cordero died on July 5, 2020.
“I have been terrified since Nick died, as a single mother, of catching this virus – and now I am one step closer to security,” said Kloots in an Instagram story on Friday.