A man from Cardiff has claimed he lost his mother, father and brother from Covid within a week because all three had chosen not to be jabbed after they were frightened by misinformation from anti-vaxxers.
Francis Goncalves, a chef, said he believed that his father, Basil, 73, contracted Covid while in hospital and his mother, Charmagne, 65, and brother Shaul, 40, picked it up at a family dinner.
He said all three, who were living in Portugal, had turned down the chance to be vaccinated and Goncalves said he hoped sharing his experience may encourage other sceptics to be jabbed.
“They got caught up in a lot of the anti-vaccination propaganda,” he said. “It preys on people who are afraid and they fall into the trap. The message I want to get out is why would the government want to hurt you by giving you a vaccine? What is the purpose behind it? I’ve spoken to so many people who are terrified of the vaccine and it costs lives.”
Goncalves, 43, said his parents had underlying health conditions but his brother was the “healthiest person” he knew and believes the vaccine would have saved his life.
A few days after his relatives had the meal together, Goncalves said his brother began “feeling like he was filled with weight and that he was tired”. Both his brother and father’s health deteriorated as Goncalves tried to find a way to get to Portugal. They died before he got there. When he arrived, he discovered his mother was struggling to cope with the virus.
