Mum, 55, and daughter, 32, both die of Covid after refusing to get the jab
A care worker and her mother both died of coronavirus within two weeks of each other after they both decided not to get the vaccine.
Heather Maddern, 55, also a care worker, died on August 31 in Ulster Hospital near Belfast, in Northern Ireland.
Her daughter, Sammie-Jo Forde, 32, who had no underlying health conditions, died on the same ward last Saturday.
Ms Forde’s dad, Kevin McAllister, has said he will be ‘haunted for the rest of his life’ over his daughter not getting jabbed.
He told the BBC’s Nolan Show he did not know why the two caretakers decided against the vaccine, adding: ‘They helped other people and they couldn’t even help themselves.
‘They were very, very close. They worked together, they lived together and they died together.
‘This has just shattered my world. I’ve lost my daughter, my best friend. I never, never thought in my life I would bury my daughter.
‘These people who are not taking the Covid-19 injection – they’re not thinking of the other people that they leave behind.’
Ms Forde has left behind her two sons, the eldest of which had to celebrate his birthday without his mum on Thursday.
Ms Maddern’s loved ones had a funeral for her on Monday. Ms Forde will be commemorated next Monday.
Vaccine uptake in Northern Ireland is currently at 80% – with 2,501,234 fully jabbed as of September 15.
There are 425 patients in the nation’s hospitals right now, up from the 19 hospitalisations on June 6, but significantly down from figures around 1,000 in January – after the vaccination programme had just started.
It comes as England started its booster jab scheme today, offering third doses to NHS and social care workers, the clinically vulnerable and over-50s.
Northern Ireland is set to start its own booster programme in 10-12 days.
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