Covid-19: Two die after 11 catch virus on Christmas Day
- Published
A mother and her daughter died when 11 members of the same family caught Covid-19 after meeting on Christmas Day.
Kashmir Bains, 64, and Paramjeet, 43, of Wolverhampton, fell seriously ill after testing positive for the virus.
The daughter died on 5 January, the day after she was taken to hospital, and her mother died four weeks later.
"It's been devastating for us as a family," said Indy Bains, their son and brother.
Mr Bains said the family considered not meeting at Christmas but decided to because his sister, who has learning disabilities, had been suffering in isolation with her mental health.
They gathered on Christmas Day, adhered to the government's three household rule and "played safe", only meeting for a few hours. Mr Bains and his family, and his younger sister and her family, met up with his mother, father and older sister.
Days after Christmas, all 11 tested positive for coronavirus.
Mr Bains said: "We didn't meet anyone else beforehand, no-one had any symptoms, we still don't know who brought the virus into the family, into the house, but it's happened and it's something we'll have to live with for the rest of our lives."
While most had mild symptoms, Mrs Bains and her daughter fell seriously ill.
"When the ambulances took them away, we just thought, 'Well they're in the right place, they'll get treatment,' we never thought once that they wouldn't return home," Mr Bains said.
Both mother and daughter spent time in intensive care at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.
"Because of her [Paramjeet's] learning disability she didn't really understand what was happening to her, and I guess she thought that the mask was just obstructing the air flow rather than helping her and she kept pulling it off.
"We spent the last few hours pleading, begging her to keep it on, so that she could get the oxygen that she required... but she just couldn't do it, and kept pulling it off, it was heartbreaking for us to see."
Mr Bains has set up a JustGiving page in memory of his sister and mother to raise funds for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity. It has already raised more than £10,000.
He said the treatment his family received by hospital staff was "humbling".
"I think they [hospital staff] deserve all the respect and gratitude we can give them."
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