When Spiros Vasilakis recently lost his mother Maria Vasilakis, 81, to COVID-19 he did not believe that within just a day of burying her there would be more coronavirus infections in his family.
He tested positive after receiving the results on Tuesday. His wife, his youngest daughter and his father-in-law have also tested positive for COVID-19.
Though his mother died of COVID-19 as she was part of the St Basil’s cluster, the cases in the rest of the family are not linked to the outbreak at the aged care facility.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos, Mr Vasilakis said that the other cases in his family are likely linked to an aged care worker who visited the family to take care of his father-in-law.
“My father-in-law lives near us, and because he is not well, my son and daughter stay with him,” he said. “My father-in-law is visited once or twice a week by an aged care worker.”
READ MORE: Spiros Vasilakis who lost his mother to COVID-19 speaks to Neos Kosmos
Mr Vasilakis said that though his wife and father-in-law are asymptomatic, his daughter has symptoms. His older daughter and son tested negative to the virus.
“What I would like to stress,” he said, “is that I suffer from asthma and had a slight cough at my mother’s funeral. We decided, with my wife, to get tested. We went to Airport West and they asked [my wife] if she had symptoms and when she said she didn’t they did not test her. We went further down to Keilor and she lied, stating that her throat hurt. She and her daughter received positive results. Had they not lied they wouldn’t have done the test and may have infected others.”
The members of the family that tested positive to COVID-19 are now in self-isolation, whereas Mr Vasilakis is still waiting for his results though he was the first to get tested.
