Hospital worker’s heartache as two friends refuse jab then die of Covid and begs ‘please take it’

A HOSPITAL worker has begged people to get the Covid jab after two of her pals died when they refused to get the vaccine.

Grace Manuputty revealed her heartache after a colleague passed away from the disease despite being offered the jab in her work for the NHS.

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The 50-year-old was then dealt a double devastating blow when a second friend died under the same circumstances.

She is now begging others not to make the same mistake and get the vaccine when it is offered to them after working on the “harrowing” frontline.

Grace, who works at Singleton Hospital, Swansea, told Wales Online: “I cried after my first jab, not because it hurt, but because I felt proud to be contributing to society by becoming part of the solution to this terrible pandemic.

“If you care about people you love, please take it, if you want to go back to the normal life that’s the only way, just take it.”

Grace added: “My mum passed away last year and I couldn’t even go home because of the restrictions to say bye to her, we have to beat it to go back to normal life.”

‘SHE REFUSED TO TAKE IT’

She told how both her friends died around nine months ago after contracting Covid – including one who worked at the same hospital.

The NHS worker explained: “A friend of mine, her health deteriorated. We were all hoping for her to beat Covid.

“In the beginning when the vaccine came out, the NHS people had it in the first place, she refused to take the vaccine.

“When she didn’t make it, it was horrible, one minute we were sharing food, the next minute she was gone. It made me feel that I had to do something to make people aware.”

She has now enlisted the help of her colleagues to tell people from ethnic backgrounds about the importance of getting the jab.

Grace is asking them to hold up caption cards explaining why they got the vaccine as part of a photo series.

She said: “There are many reasons why people in black, Asian and minority ethnic communities might not be taking up the vaccination.

“By giving people the opportunity to say ‘I had the vaccination because…’ we are hoping to show that the vaccine is safe and vital in protecting yourself, the ones you love and your community.

“Everybody has suffered during this pandemic, I have lost two friends who didn’t take up the vaccination and have since passed away from Covid-19. As such, I am passionate about the need for people to be vaccinated.”