‘Fit And Healthy’ Unvaccinated Dad Of 7 Dies Of COVID-19

KEY POINTS

The 50-year-old British father died of COVID-19 in a hospital on Dec. 5 after testing positive for the virus on Nov. 4
His wife and their seven children, aged between 9 and 25, all tested positive for COVID-19 in late October
His unvaccinated wife has since booked her first appointment for a jab

A 50-year-old man in the West Midlands region of England has died of COVID-19 after putting off his jab.

Martin Mulcahy, of Camp Hill in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, died on Dec. 5, four weeks after first testing positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 4, local newspaper Coventry Telegraph reported.

The security guard's wife, Tracey, and their seven children — aged between 9 and 25 — tested positive for the virus in late October, a report by the Daily Mail said.

Mulcahy, who was unvaccinated because he "hadn't got round to it," already had low oxygen levels and was struggling to breathe by the time he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

"He'd always been fit and healthy, but after contracting the virus, he constantly complained of shortness of breath and tiredness. He was like a different man," 45-year-old Tracey, Mulcahy's partner of more than 20 years, was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

Mulcahy was brought to the George Eliot Hospital on Nov. 13 and placed on a ventilator, but he died just weeks later.

"I still haven't processed what's happened and I keep expecting him to walk through the door any minute," Tracey said. "It feels like a nightmare that won't end."

The unvaccinated 45-year-old mother said she was "skeptical of the vaccine at first and didn't believe in it," but she has since booked an appointment for her first COVID-19 jab.

Vaccination was now a "priority" for Tracey after she said she "witnessed the [virus'] devastating effects firsthand."

"I am unsure whether Martin had contracted Delta, or Omicron, but it has spurred me to get the first dose of my vaccine. Now I will make sure every one of our children has it," the mother said.

Tracey said she believes her husband would still be with them had he been vaccinated.

Mulcahy's funeral was scheduled to take place Thursday. His family is relying on donations, friends and family to get through the funeral as his bank account was frozen and will not be active "until the New Year," Tracey said.

A GoFundMe page organized by Tracey's sister, Deborah Leah, has gone past its initial £500 ($665) goal and raised £4,065 ($5,395) as of writing.

"It's a tough time of year for everyone and I appreciate every single penny that people have given my family," Tracey said.

The U.K. has reported 11,607,588 COVID-19 cases and 147,895 deaths as of Tuesday, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University.