Pictured: Ady Al-Askar
Relatives of a man who dropped dead in the shower 13 days after receiving a Covid diagnosis have lashed out at the government for the slow and confusing vaccine rollout.
Ady Al-Askar, 27, collapsed and died on Tuesday inside his Liverpool home, in Sydney’s south-west.
His brother-in-law told Daily Mail Australia the newly-married forklift operator had wanted to get vaccinated, despite his concerns about long-term effects, but there were several roadblocks that delayed the process.
‘It’s the fact that the stupid health department had a three month waiting line,’ he said.
Mr Al-Askar caught the highly infectious Delta strain off his disability support worker wife, Yasmin, who first contracted the virus through her workplace.
The virus has been spreading through NSW since mid-June, with a further five deaths recorded on Thursday and 262 new cases. Victoria is also on the brink of a sixth lockdown after recording six new cases.
Mrs Al-Askar’s brother, Fahad Aziz, wants the public to know that Mr Al-Askar was not against the vaccine, but was not able to secure an immediate appointment.
Family also said Mr Al-Askar was ‘anxious’ about the long-term effects of the vaccine, particularly on his children if he was to have them.
But Mr Aziz said Mr Al-Askar ‘followed all the rules and never disobeyed the law’, and wanted to do his bit to end the lockdown by getting vaccinated.
But he claims Mr Al-Askar was told ‘he would be waiting until September’ due to ‘the slow rollout’ in the community.
Ady Al-Askar married Yasmin (pictured together) just six weeks ago and the couple were hoping to celebrate after lockdown lifted
Until recently, Mr Al-Askar would not have qualified for a vaccination as priority was given to the elderly and frontline workers
‘When the health department talk about him being unvaccinated it wasn’t like the poor man had a choice, he was in a line and I assure you he won’t be the only person to die from this tragic pandemic if the vaccine isn’t handed out to everyone.
‘Australia is the slowest with their vaccine production and are starting to fix their mistakes after people starting losing lives and one of them was my brother.’
Until recently Mr Al-Askar would not have qualified for a vaccination as priority was given to the elderly and frontline workers.
But when the Delta strain seeped into the community, Premier Gladys Berejiklian issued an urgent plea for adults of all ages to come forward and get the AstraZeneca vaccine. Both the federal and state governments have come under fire for the conflicting advice regarding the rollout.
Cumberland Mayor Steve Christou said he and his wife Josephine struggled to book a timely vaccination in their part of western Sydney, where only 17.7 per cent of people are fully vaccinated and 35.1 per cent have had a first dose.
‘I don’t think it’s as easy for people to book an appointment in western Sydney and get vaccinated as easy as it is in the more affluent suburbs,’ he said on Wednesday.
Mr Al-Askar’s cousin, Khalid Thijeel, earlier told Daily Mail Australia that the 27-year-old was absolutely not an anti-vaxxer, but was wary of potential long term effects the vaccine might have.
The 27-year-old had been isolating in his Liverpool unit in Sydney’s southwest with his aged care nurse wife, Yasmin (pictured together), who first contracted the virus and brought it home from work
Given his youth, he said Mr Al-Askar wasn’t overly concerned about the extended wait times to get the jab.
Mr Thijeel stressed his cousin was hesitant after mixed messaging from the Federal Government which initially told Australians the AstraZeneca jab was not safe for people under the age of 60.
‘He was young, and it’s my understanding he wanted to see what long-term effects there were… he doesn’t have children yet, but would it affect them’,’ he said.
‘He was just waiting to see’.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’s latest advice states that increased transmissibility of the Delta variant outweighs any minor risks associated with the AstraZeneca jab.
‘In a large outbreak, the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are greater than the risk of rare side effects for all age groups,’ the advice states.
‘ATAGI reiterates that all adults in greater Sydney should strongly consider the benefits of earlier protection with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca rather than waiting for alternative vaccines.’
Pictured: Mr Al-Askar on his wedding day, just six weeks ago
Pictured: Healthcare workers asking a person in southwest Sydney to check in on Wednesday
Six Australians have died as a result of developing blood clots after receiving their AstraZeneca jab, out of about 12.3million doses administered.
Meanwhile 22 people have died as a result of the current Covid outbreak in NSW.
Pfizer is largely considered the preferable option among certain demographics, but is not as easy to source as the AstraZeneca.
Mr Al-Askar’s death makes him the youngest victim of the virus in New South Wales to date.
He and his wife were due to finish their 14-day quarantine period on Wednesday, and relatives claim the 27-year-old had even returned a negative Covid test just one day before his death.
It is understood a person can still experience adverse symptoms, including death, even after returning a negative result.
But Mr Thijeel said his cousin was feeling ’90 per cent fine’ even as recently as Tuesday morning.
He did not develop any symptoms until about a week after his diagnosis.
‘He woke up yesterday, he was feeling good, he had breakfast, called his family and then he had a shower about 4pm and that was it,’ Mr Thijeel said.
‘He only got married about 6 weeks ago… [he was] just starting his life.’
Mr Al-Askar’s wife, who was quarantining with him inside their unit, found him unconscious in the shower and called an ambulance.
She was rushed to hospital in shock. She, too, had minor symptoms.
‘He had no coughing, nothing,’ Mr Thijeel said.
Paramedics who responded to the emergency reportedly confirmed that he suffered heart failure, whereas the hospital specified that Covid was a contributing factor in his death.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted NSW Health regarding the family’s claims about the three-month vaccine wait period.
New South Wales recorded another 233 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday as Sydney’s Delta outbreak continues to grow
Mr Al-Askar’s cousin Khalid Thijeel (pictured together) said the family are not certain he died of Covid-19, despite what authorities have told them