Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash

This family have been devastated by coronavirus with their healthy son dying and his sister and mother infected with the disease after taking their father to hospital with a stroke.

Mother Alzira da Silva Novaes, 59, and her son Luiz Fagner Dias Novaes, 31, were both in intensive care units at different hospitals in the city of Santos in the south-eastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo after contracting COVID-19.

The pair were joined by daughter Maria Carolina da Silva Novaes, 39, after being infected with the disease after taking their father, who has not been named, to the Cubatao Municipal Hospital on 21st March when he suffered a stroke.

Mother Alzira began suffering from COVID-19 symptoms three days after the hospital trip and her daughter Maria had a fever on 26th March, but her temperature dropped the following day and she went to visit her father with her brother.

However, one day after visiting their dad, Luiz began to feel bad and was taken to hospital whilst his sister says she had “mild” coronavirus symptoms.

When she and her mother’s condition worsened they too were taken to hospital but they did not believe they had coronavirus until daughter Maria’s test came back positive.

The trio were taken to different hospitals, with daughter Maria admitted to the Beneficencia Portuguesa Hospital while her mother was taken to the Guilherme Alvaro Hospital. Maria ended up in the intensive care unit and her brother was admitted to the Sao Bernardo Hospital.

Luiz, who worked as a security guard, played sports and reportedly had no underlying conditions, was taken to the intensive care unit when his condition worsened. He tested positive for COVID-19 and remained in the unit for six days until he died.

His mother remains in intensive care and does not know of her son’s death, according to her daughter Maria who said: “She doesn’t know my brother died because she’s unconscious in hospital. When she recovers consciousness the medical team will let her know gently so she can digest the news.”

She added: “It is very difficult for a mother to bury a child, it is not the natural order of things. We are all very concerned for her when she wakes up. My father is also very ill. He is quadriplegic due to the stroke he suffered and feels bad that he cannot do anything to help. Everything is very difficult in our family.”

Maria was discharged from hospital on 9th April and remains in quarantine at her home in the town of Praia Grande while her father has also been discharged, according to reports.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.