Mother and daughter die after 11 family members catch Covid meeting on Christmas Day

Their family has already raised more than £15,200 in charity for hospital services

A 64-year-old mother and her 43-year-old daughter who had learning disabilities died in the UK after 11 of their family members caught coronavirus during a Christmas meeting.

The daughter, Paramjeet Bains, 43, died on 5 January while her mother, Kashmir Bains, succumbed to the virus four weeks later.

Indy Bains, who is Paramjeet’s brother and Kashmir’s son, said it has been “devastating” for them. He said their family first considered not meeting on Christmas but later agreed to meet Paramjeet who had been struggling with her mental health due to coronavirus-related isolation, reported BBC News.

The family met on Christmas for a few hours and followed precautions and Mr Bains stated that “no-one had any symptoms” but within days all 11 members tested positive for Covid-19. The gathering included Indy Bains and his family, his mother, father, older sister, and his younger sister and her family.

While most members had mild symptoms, Kashmir Bains and her daughter fell seriously ill.

Mr Bains said when the duo was taken to a hospital on 4 January they thought they were “in the right place” and never thought that they wouldn’t return home.

The mother-daughter duo was in the intensive care at the New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. Mr Bains has started a fundraiser in his mother and sister’s memory to raise money for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity and has already raised more than £15,200.

Mr Bains said the treatment by the hospital staff, who deserve all the respect and gratitude, was “humbling.”

He recalled that they spent the last few hours at the hospital pleading with Paramjeet to keep her mask on.

Kashmir Bains, 64, and her daughter Paramjeet Bains, 43, who died due to Covid-19 in Wolverhampton, UK (Family /JustGiving)

“But she just couldn’t do it, and kept pulling it off, it was heartbreaking for us to see. Because of her learning disability, she didn’t really understand what was happening to her, and I guess she thought that the mask was just obstructing the airflow rather than helping her and she kept pulling it off,” Mr Bains said.

He said they still don’t know who brought the virus into the family but it’s something they will “have to live with” for the rest of their lives.

The UK has recorded over 4.1 million cases of Covid-19 including over 122,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.