A person behind the statistics: Family of one of Singapore’s COVID-19 fatalities tells his story
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A person behind the statistics: Family of one of Singapore'south COVID-19 fatalities tells his story
Roger'south belongings remain untouched in his room about iii weeks after he died from COVID-19. (Photo: Calvin)
SINGAPORE: For most of the population, he was merely known equally a case number.
And when he died tardily in the afternoon of Sep 19, he became a statistic: Ane of Singapore's growing numbers of COVID-19 fatalities.
But behind the statistics was a caring and generous human being who took great pride in his homegrown flowers and loved old Chinese music, according to his nephew, who only wanted to be known as Calvin.
"Sometimes when I had to work overtime, er bo (Mandarin for second uncle) would cut fruits and even serve them to me," said the 36-yr-one-time.
"He was unmarried and didn't have any children, so I think in some ways, my brother and I were like his children."
A sales and operations managing director at a jewellery shop in Joo Chiat for more than 20 years, his uncle, who went by the name Roger, had also been well-liked past his colleagues and customers.
"When I told them almost his passing, a lot of his colleagues and even his regular customers, told me how much they missed him, and said he had been very thoughtful and friendly," said Calvin.
"At dwelling, he was always the virtually talkative one, e'er chatting with my parents most solar day-to-day things like groceries or what's happening in the news," he said.
"Nosotros GOT VERY UNLUCKY"
Roger'southward death came as a huge shock to the family, with the 71-year-quondam only testing positive for the virus 3 days before, on Sep 16.
Up until the day before he died, Roger had still been sending them pictures taken from his hospital bed, and telling his family how impressed he was with the food and his room, said Calvin.
"It was all very sudden," he said. "The day before he died, he was still texting us but we didn't really hear that much from him, and then we idea he was resting and didn't want to bother him."
The adjacent twenty-four hours, on Sep 19, the family unit received a call from another relative, Roger'southward older blood brother, who bankrupt the news to them.
"With Singapore having a population of nigh (five.7 1000000), we thought it was unlikely that anyone in our family would die of COVID just that wasn't the case," he said.
"We just got very unlucky."
As of Thursday (October 7), 136 people accept died from the disease in Singapore.
Out of this, well-nigh lx per cent of the deaths - or 81 fatalities - occurred in the past calendar month or so.
Co-ordinate to statistics from the Ministry of Wellness (MOH), the bulk of those who died from COVID-xix were aged 70 and above.
Last month, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that unvaccinated seniors were at "meaning risk" of falling very sick when infected, with the charge per unit at more than fifteen per cent for those above lxxx years old.
Speaking out about the expiry of his uncle, who had only been partially vaccinated, Calvin said he hoped to encourage more unvaccinated people to get vaccinated.
"My uncle found it too troublesome and not necessary so he delayed (his vaccination) until the number of COVID cases started to ascension," he said, adding that his uncle had taken his start vaccination sometime between tardily Baronial and early on September.
"My family as well did effort to encourage him to get vaccinated by telling him that if he didn't get vaccinated by side by side yr, he might not be able to join us for a Chinese New year reunion dinner outside," he added.
While his uncle finally decided to take the vaccination, it came also late, said Calvin.
"My uncle had some difficulty in walking, so he was expecting a abode visit, where healthcare workers would (get) to houses to vaccinate senior citizens and nosotros had to wait for almost a month earlier they came," he said.
His uncle's second dose would accept been on Sep 28 - more than than a week subsequently he died.
"I would say to all those who are unvaccinated that it'south ameliorate to exercise some caution and become fully vaccinated to protect yourself," said Calvin.
"We never expected that my uncle would die and I don't recall he ever expected that too."
GRIEVING IN PRIVATE
Nearly three weeks on, the house Calvin's family unit shared with Roger is quiet.
Stacks of old cassette tapes lie untouched and collecting grit in his uncle's room. But in the balustrade, the plants that his uncle had lovingly tended to remain light-green and lush, under the new care of Calvin and his family.
"Before my uncle went to the infirmary, he went through all the stuff he needed me to take care of like watering his plants ... so sometimes, my father does it or if I'g free, I water it," said Calvin.
"Planting has never been my hobby, then I'm not too sure how long we can continue this upwardly but I retrieve we will try to do information technology."
While life is slowly going back to normal for Calvin, the pain of losing his uncle remains.
"There are moments where I accept an emotional overload and can't believe that he's gone. When I recollect about it ... he gave quite a lot to the family, ownership a lot of groceries and food for the family," he said.
"Every December, we would gloat our birthdays together because his birthday is in the same calendar month as my brother and mine, so we always cut the cake together. Information technology'south a nice thing we do together."
Recalling the day he scattered his uncle's ashes at sea, Calvin said it had just been his brother and him, as the rest of his family was however under quarantine.
"They felt regretful that they couldn't exist there for the final send-off, but at that place was nothing they could do likewise," he said.
Instead, his family unit took condolement in the noesis that Roger had died peacefully, with no struggling in the end.
"My uncle once told me that when he dies, he wants a sea burial considering he wants to travel the world and to be free," said Calvin.
"When he was alive, he didn't travel much considering he was too a workaholic and he didn't have many friends to travel with," he said, calculation that the family also seldom travelled.
"He was a very adept man, and I wish that we could have had a take chances to travel together."
Editor's note: This article has been updated to remove reference to Roger existence Singapore'southward 62nd fatality as at that place is a discrepancy between his age as provided on his death certificate and in the Ministry of Health press release.
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