Daughter-in-law of woman, 80, who died of Covid regrets lack of urgency in getting her vaccinated

Singapore — After her 80-year-old mother-in-law died of Covid complications last Saturday (Aug 7), a woman expressed her regret for not having had the urgency in making sure her 80-year-old mother-in-law had got the vaccine.

The death of the elderly woman, only identified in the news as Madam Tan, was reported by the Ministry of Health in its daily update on Aug 7. 

She had started coughing on Jul 21 and was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Jul 23 after testing positive for the Covid-19 infection, marking, at that point, the fifth Covid-19-related fatality in six days.

Mdm Tan had not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19 and had a history of diabetes, hypertension and atrial fibrillation, said the MOH.

Her daughter-in-law, a Ms Teo, 47, spoke to The New Paper (TNP), saying that despite her ailments, the elderly woman had been given the go signal from her doctor last May to receive the vaccine.

However, the family did not treat it as a matter of urgency, and Mdm Tan was only scheduled to be vaccinated at her home at Ang Mo Kio toward the end of Jul.

However, by then, it was too late, as she had already fallen ill.

According to TNP, when she tested positive for Covid on Jul 23, it was only a few days before her scheduled vaccine jab.

Ms Teo told TNP, “Never once did I think it would hit so close to home, and that we would lose a family member to Covid-19. Looking back, I really regret not pushing my mother-in-law to get vaccinated when she was eligible in May.”

Despite testing positive for Covid, the family had initially had high hopes for her recovery, as Ms Teo and her husband had still been able to see her, albeit only through a glass, on Aug 6, the day before she died.

The older lady was responsive when they last saw each other but took a sudden turn for the worse within the next 24 hours.

Mdm Tan was one of the people whose infection is linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster.

On Jul 7, she had gone to Chong Boon Market and Food Centre along with her daughter, who also later tested positive for Covid.

But her daughter, being fully vaccinated, only fell mildly ill. She has now recovered from Covid.

Commenters on the story expressed their condolences to Ms Teo’s family, and wrote that they hoped other older people would be convinced to get their Covid vaccine shots.

/TISG

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80-year-old woman dies from Covid-19 complications; 5th fatality in a week