Nick (not his real name) reached out to Neos Kosmos because he was surprised and concerned with the “confusion over COVID-19 tests” at his mother’s pensioner club.

Nick’s mother who is double vaccinated presented with a slight cough last week and he took her to get tested – the test came back COVID positive.

Nick told Neos Kosmos that he immediately isolated and is now getting daily tests, as is his mother. His double vaccinated mother is well with only light symptoms.

He informed his mother’s pensioner club and asked them to all get tested.

The “club president” said that members “wanted proof” of his mother’s result, “they were hesitant to go for a test because they thought they had to pay for them – and it wasn’t something they could afford.”

Nick told the president that “COVID-19 tests are free, but he refused to believe him.

“The president told me they weren’t free and that he had to pay for his and I said, ‘that’s only of you go to a specialist or you need one really fast for overseas travel, maybe’.”

The club president then went to the police to “force me to provide a positive proof [COVID-19 Test]-from me.”

“I talked to the police officer, I told her that I was in isolation, and couldn’t leave my house, I explained that due to privacy, [sic] I was not handing over any text, or email to the president, as he had requested, and then she [police officer] told the president to verify from DHS if he wanted proof, and to get tested and that those tests are free.”

READ MORE: Mandatory vaccinations for all citizens over 60 – fines for those that do not comply

Nick, when talking to Neos Kosmos, expressed concern over many conversations he has had with peers.

“There is so much misinformation and conspiracy thinking out there, it is really worrying.”

He told Neos Kosmos that he knows of someone “who is an antivaxxer and caught COVID-19, he became seriously ill, went to hospital, is still unwell, but is still an antivaxxer!”

Nick relayed the disturbing story of an antivaxxer, “who encouraged both his parents and in-laws not to get vaccinated, his in-laws and both his patents got infected, and his mother-in-law and his mother died.”

Other recent reports have surfaced that some unvaccinated parishioners are attending church and infecting others. The church tries to abide by the regulations of not allowing unvaccinated into the church, it cannot ensure that.

Neos Kosmos learnt of a recent dinner event where double vaccinated attendees were infected, a few later they attended another event of Greek elderly club and infected others.  In this case being double vaccinated the infected did not succumb to serious illness.

In the middle of the last lockdown, Neos Kosmos talked to Jack, (not his real name) who in his words “wasn’t an antivaxxer but did not know of anyone who had the disease.” Jack contracted COVID-19 and ended up in ICU.  Worse, Jack passed COVID-19 on to his father who died from the illness.

“I was about to get vaccinated even though I was not 100% convinced, then I went to a tier two site, unknowingly, caught it [COVID-19] and became very sick, I then passed it on to my father who died.”

Jack said, that when they took out the breathing apparatus, he “walked around ICU and realised how many people were in there with COVID.”

READ MORE: Victoria confirms 1,419 new COVID-19 cases, 10 deaths

Asked by Neos Kosmos how he felt now, Jack – his voice cracking from emotion – said, “I am half the man I used to be.”

“I tell all my friends ‘this is real,’ I can hardly walk, I am short of breath, my head’s not in the right place, my mother is distraught, and my father is dead.”

According to some reports from within the community, a number of event organisers have resorted to hiring DJs instead of Greek musicians due to the high rate of unvaccinated musicians.

While Victoria has almost reached the milestone of 90% double vaccination, COVID-19 infection numbers still hover around at 1,300 per day, with approximately ten deaths a day. It seems sadly that some in the Greek community have been infected by conspiracy theories and lies, to the detriment of their health and their families.

Key Points

• Adult children stop their elderly parents getting the jab, only to see them die.

• Greek pensioners believed they had to pay for COVID-19 tests.

• Unvaccinated parishioners attending church infect others.

• Double vaccinated attendees at function catch COVID19 and avoid illness and hospitalisation.