Couple contracts COVID-19 on long-delayed honeymoon

WINDSOR, Wis. (WMTV/Gray News) - A Wisconsin couple is warning vaccinated people to not let their guard down after testing positive for COVID-19 months after they received their vaccines.

Melissa and Eric Bizeau waited to go on their honeymoon until they were fully vaccinated and restrictions were lifted, and the couple also took steps to avoid contracting the virus during their trip.

“It’s far from over, as we learned the hard way,” Melissa said in an interview with WMTV.

“We rented an Airbnb, we were by ourselves, we went out to dinner a couple times,” Melissa explained. Eric added that they rented a boat so they weren’t on an excursion with others.

However, near the end of the trip, Eric started feeling sick.

“It just felt like the onset of a cold,” Eric said, “You don’t really believe that you have it because you’ve been vaccinated. I mean, it’s not bulletproof, but you kind of tend to believe that it’s probably a cold and not COVID.”

When he started to lose his sense of smell, both decided to get tested, and those tests came back positive. Health officials said, given the effectiveness of vaccines, the Bizeaus’ situation is rare.

“In general, if you’ve been vaccinated, you are protected against COVID-19 infection,” SSM Health Wisconsin’s David Ottenbaker said.

However, Ottenbacker also said it is not impossible to get infected, and there is nothing wrong with taking extra precautions. He added it is still important that people get tested if they start having symptoms.

“We still have a large part of our population, our kiddos, that have not been vaccinated yet, right? We do know that there will still be prevalence of the disease as we head into the fall,” Ottenbaker explained.

Melissa said she and her husband still want to emphasize everyone should get vaccinated. They are glad their symptoms were not more severe.

“I had a bad bout of pneumonia a couple of years ago, and I think that had I not had the shot, it would probably have been very likely I would have been in the hospital,” Melissa explained.

The couple just hopes their story is a warning for others to remain vigilant.

“Even if the sign says, ‘If you’re vaccinated, you don’t need to wear a mask,’ wear it anyways,” Eric said.

The couple said upon returning from their honeymoon, they quarantined for two weeks at their campground. They came home Saturday and said they are feeling much better, but they are not stopping mask-wearing anytime soon.

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