After family's COVID-19 tragedies, Karl-Anthony Towns receives vaccine
It's been an awful, awful year for Karl-Anthony Towns and his family, but some good news arrived on Tuesday.
The Minnesota Timberwolves center revealed on Twitter that he received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine:
Shot 1 ✅ pic.twitter.com/LQfB6SrH0k
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) April 6, 2021
Obviously, it will take a few weeks for Towns to receive his second dose and a few more weeks for him to reach actual immunity, but that first step is a great sight for a player who has arguably lost more than any of his NBA peers to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Towns announced the death of his mother Jacqueline almost exactly one year ago, the result of a month-long battle with the coronavirus. That was only the beginning of the awful news, as Towns later revealed he lost six more family members to the virus, then contracted the virus himself. He was also hospitalized after being hit by a drunk driver before the season.
Towns publicizing his vaccination isn't a surprise given that he has been among the loudest voices in sports when it comes to COVID-19 awareness. The star has been open about the toll the virus has taken, urging many people to take it seriously. That's not nothing in a league where many stars are reportedly apprehensive about publicly supporting the vaccine.
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