A mother whose 15-year-old daughter died from Covid on the day she was due to be vaccinated has warned of children being too 'blasé' about the virus as she paid tribute to her 'beautiful' and 'courageous' girl.
Jorja Halliday was rushed to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, after her flu-like symptoms left her unable to keep water down and saw her heart rate reach double its normal pace.
Despite being placed on a ventilator, the aspiring musician never stabilised as her heart was under too much strain and she died on September 28 - just four days after receiving her PCR test results.
Preliminary results from the hospital's medical examiner indicate the Jorja had Covid myocarditis - a heart inflammation caused by the virus.
Her mother, Tracey Halliday, 40, said: 'They realised how serious it was and I was still allowed to touch her, hold her hand, hug her and everything else.
Jorja Halliday died from Covid at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on September 28
'They did allow me that. I'm at the point where I can't comprehend that it's happened.
'I was with her the whole time. They tried to put her on a ventilator to give her body a chance to recover. Her heart rate didn't stabilise. Her heart couldn't take the strain.
'They worked as well as I think they could medically but were unable to save her. She had the best of care, I know that they did everything they could to save her.'
The devastated mother now fears children are too 'blasé' about the virus - with parents assuming their children will simply recover.
She continued: 'She was going to have the jab on Tuesday. But because she tested positive on Saturday she was isolating. When her isolation period was over she was going to get it.
'The day that she passed away was the day that she would have had it done.'
Jorja was the eldest of five children and had two sisters Julie, 12, and Daisie, four, and two younger brothers, Kallum, six, and Oscar who is just 18 months.
Ms Halliday said: 'It's heart wrenching because your kids are always meant to outlive you, and that's the one thing I can't get over.
'I like to think of myself as a thinker, I like to keep busy but I do take some time for myself and grieve with the children.'
She added: 'When I'm on my own, when they've gone to bed, and when I get the reminders throughout the day, I burst into tears.
'She was a loving girl and she had lots of friends. She was very active, she liked to go out and spend time with her friends and loved spending time with her brothers and sisters.
'Growing up she turned into a beautiful young lady, always wanting to help others, always there for everybody when they needed them.'
The 15-year-old (pictured with her sibling) died just four days after receiving her PCR test results
