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| Woman describes shock after parents die of coronavirus in Belfast | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Christopher and Isobel Vallely died in same hospital room within hours of each other | Christopher and Isobel Vallely died in same hospital room within hours of each other |
| A woman has spoken of her shock and grief after her parents died of coronavirus at the weekend. | A woman has spoken of her shock and grief after her parents died of coronavirus at the weekend. |
| Christopher Vallely, 79, died on Sunday in the Mater hospital in Belfast, hours after his wife, Isobel, 77, died in the same hospital room. Both had tested positive for Covid-19. | |
| The couple, who lived near the Falls Road in west Belfast, had three children and had been married for 53 years on Friday. | |
| Christopher, who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, was admitted to hospital and placed in isolation 10 days ago after showing symptoms. Isobel, who had a stroke last year, was admitted on Thursday and died on Saturday night. | |
| Christopher was moved to the room she had occupied after his condition worsened. He died 12 hours after his wife. | Christopher was moved to the room she had occupied after his condition worsened. He died 12 hours after his wife. |
| Speaking to the Irish News, their daughter Fiona Vallely said: “Both had underlying heath issues, but it’s a shock to lose both your parents. They would have done anything for anybody. They were fantastic people and they did not deserve to go this way.” | |
| Meanwhile, 17 members of a family from the West Midlands have either contracted the virus or are showing symptoms of it, including one who died after attending a family funeral this month. | Meanwhile, 17 members of a family from the West Midlands have either contracted the virus or are showing symptoms of it, including one who died after attending a family funeral this month. |
| Susan Nelson, 65, died of suspected coronavirus last week after attending her aunt’s funeral on 13 March. Nelson’s daughter Amanda said: “Our beautiful, caring mum was the centre of the family – we are a very close, large family and this has destroyed us.” | |
| Amanda, a 34-year-old business support manger for the NHS, tested positive for the virus last Sunday. She said she was worried that at least one other family member was about to succumb to the disease. | Amanda, a 34-year-old business support manger for the NHS, tested positive for the virus last Sunday. She said she was worried that at least one other family member was about to succumb to the disease. |
| “We now have someone else in our family in hospital that’s probably not going to survive it,” she said. | “We now have someone else in our family in hospital that’s probably not going to survive it,” she said. |
| She wrote on Facebook: “My family is suffering so much thanks to this bloody virus, and it breaks my heart to speak to them on the phone and hear how unwell they all are.” | She wrote on Facebook: “My family is suffering so much thanks to this bloody virus, and it breaks my heart to speak to them on the phone and hear how unwell they all are.” |
| She said the 16 surviving members who had either tested positive or were showing symptoms ranged in age from 21 to 88. | She said the 16 surviving members who had either tested positive or were showing symptoms ranged in age from 21 to 88. |