An unvaccinated British mother and her daughter have died less than a fortnight apart in hospital after both contracted coronavirus, leaving their family 'devastated'.
Sammie-Jo Forde, 32, died in Ulster Hospital near Belfast last Saturday, only 11 days after her mother Heather Maddern, 55, passed away in the same ward on August 31.
Miss Forde's father Kevin McAllister said it will 'haunt me for the rest of my life' that his daughter did not take the vaccine, adding that she leaves behind four children.
Both Miss Forde and Ms Maddern - who were only two beds away from each other in hospital - were care workers who looked after elderly people in their own homes.
Miss Forde, who had no underlying health conditions, had been texting her father while she was being treated in hospital and told him: 'Dad, Mummy's passed away.'
Mr McAllister, who also has two sons, said he did not understand why neither his daughter nor Ms Maddern, who is his ex-partner, decided not to have the jab.
Kevin McAllister is pictured with his daughter Sammie-Jo Forde, who died in Ulster Hospital
A funeral for Ms Maddern, who lived in Groomsport, was held three days ago on Monday - while a service for Miss Forde is set to take place next Monday.
In an emotional interview, Mr McAllister told BBC Radio Five Live presenter Stephen Nolan yesterday: 'I've had the worst weekend of my life last weekend.
'My daughter passed away on Saturday, Covid-19. Her mummy got buried yesterday, she had Covid-19, and both of them never took the Covid-19 injections.
'My daughter was 32 with four kids. To make matters worse was
