90 Greek Melburnian victims to COVID-19

An elderly resident is taken away from an aged care facility. Photo: AAP

26 August 2020 5:24pm

More grandmothers and grandfathers died on Wednesday as another 24 deaths were announced.

The latest figure lifts the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 462 – 549 deaths nationwide.

The death tally was the second highest, with the highest being on 17 August when 25 deaths were recorded.

Politicians and science experts alike have claimed that COVID-19 does not distinguish between race, however an extraordinary amount of deaths have been from within the Greek Australian community of Melbourne. Neos Kosmos can reveal that there have been 90 deaths in Melbourne, at least, of people of Greek origin – a high proportion. At least one in five of the state’s coronavirus-related fatalities are of Greek origin, and the proportion is even higher in Melbourne, a city known for its robust Greek community.

Most of the fatalities are from the elderly community, with 21 of today’s deaths being related to aged care facilities and 1,487 active cases in the sector. St Basil’s at Fawkner, run by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, has recorded a total of 38 deaths which concerned people of mainly Greek origin. There are currently 195 coronavirus cases linked to the home.

The highest number of cases from within the aged care sector have been linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care, another Greek-run facility which has come under a great deal of scrutiny.

Sons and daughters have spoken to Neos Kosmos about the loss of their loved ones, dying alone. They remember the last time they saw their relatives, the initial confusion and despair, and the lack of communication when staff at St Basil’s were replaced by the government’s nurses. The chaos seems to have somewhat died down, but the grief continues.

Relatives are now in the process of collecting belongings of the deceased as well as those who have been discharged. “This task proved harder than we anticipated as everything in the home was dishevelled when we returned,” states an email released to residents by St Basil’s management. “In any case, this has now been completed to the best of our ability as we have had to rely on labelling as well as staff recollection and recognition in most instances.”

At Neos Kosmos, we have been working hard to tell the stories of relatives lost to COVID-19, and will continue to do so. If you have a loved one which you would like to pay tribute to or have a story to share with us, please send your details to mary@neoskosmos.com.au