Covid-19: Liverpool man Aude Alaskar dies at home after testing positive

Shocked relatives of a man in his 20s who died after contracting Covid-19 have remembered him as a “sweetheart”.

A forklift driver aged just 27 has become the state’s youngest coronavirus fatality as pressure mounts on the government to ensure more is done to vaccinate those aged under 40.

Authorities also confirmed a teenager was in intensive care with the virus as Premier Gladys Berejiklian conceded cases would likely continue to rise.

Ms Berejiklian announced the death of Aude Alaskar on Wednesday, saying the virus was “lethal”.

Mr Alaskar had complained of fatigue before deteriorating rapidly and collapsing in the bathroom of his Sydey home, despite daily checks by NSW Health staff.

27-year-old Aude Alaskar.

Aude Alaskar died from Covid-19.

The death has been referred to the coroner and it is understood that this referral was based on his young age and unexpected death.

Mr Alaskar is the second person in NSW aged under 40 to die from the virus, with that age group not yet approved to book Pfizer appointments and only recently approved for access to AstraZeneca — a backflip on previous advice that Pfizer was the preferred vaccine for their age group.

As NSW recorded 233 new cases on Wednesday, Ms Berejiklian said she believed Sydney’s outbreak had not yet reached its peak. She said her “humble guess” was case numbers would worsen, given the high number of people still infectious in the community each day.

“I actually think they will get worse if you look at the number of people infectious in the community, it indicates that perhaps we haven’t reached our peak,” she said.

Aude Alaskar with his wife Yasmin.

Ms Berejiklian and NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant are urging under 40s to consult with their GPs about the big benefits and small risks of AstraZeneca.

Federal Covid-19 vaccination commander Lieutenant-General John Frewen said the federal government expected Pfizer to be open to younger age groups by the end of August.

Tasmania and the ACT have already opened Pfizer bookings for 30-39 year olds, but NSW lags behind.

“The idea for 30-39 (is) we will open mRNA (Pfizer) towards the end of this month, early next month. That means that when people are told they can access the vaccine they can do it in a reasonable period of time,” Lieutenant-General Frewen said on Wednesday.

He said a lack of Pfizer supply meant opening bookings now would see the expectation of receiving a jab fall flat when people were confronted with long wait times.

“AstraZeneca is available right now under informed consent,’’ he said. “People need to make a decision whether they have the available vaccine now or whether they wait.”

Lt Gen Frewen said Sydney was being targeted with an ad campaign to reassure the public AstraZeneca was both “safe and very effective” and readily available through doctors and pharmacies.

Shocked relatives of Mr Alaskar remembered him as a “sweetheart”.

The Iraq-born man collapsed inside the Liverpool unit he shared with his wife on Tuesday and was unable to be revived by paramedics.

A close relative said he had been in isolation for the past 13 days after catching the virus. It was not known last night how he and his wife contracted Covid.

Despite feeling well while battling the virus, his condition “deteriorated quickly”, Dr Chant said.

“He was being cared for by southwestern Sydney Local Health District during his isolation period and he’d reached day 13,” she said.

“He was being followed up daily by nursing staff and suddenly deteriorated. He was being checked daily and he did complain of feeling a little fatigued but the deterioration happened suddenly, is my understanding.

“We are aware that with Covid you can get sudden deaths.”

Aude Alaskar with his wife Yasmin.

But Mr Alaskar’s family claimed he received a clear Covid test the day before he died and said his family had a long history of heart problems.

The Daily Telegraph understands a person can still have the virus in their system and suffer adverse effects, even death, after a test has returned negative.

His wife — who he married earlier this year — found him collapsed on the floor of their bathroom and, after calling triple-0, rang relatives who rushed to the unit block.

While Mr Alaskar’s wife has recovered from the virus, she is now under observation in hospital being treated for shock.

“She said he was having a shower, he just fell down. His heart stopped out of nowhere and he was vomiting on the floor,” his cousin Bash Mnati said.

Mr Mnati said Mr Alaskar and his wife were both in quarantine for almost two weeks.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has supported the idea of drive-thru vaccine clinics. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

He said of his cousin: “He was an amazing person, such a sweetheart.” He added: “You can ask people all around, he’s never been in fights or had problems, never had any issue with family or friends.

“Everyone loved him, he was such a great person.

“He was a real diamond.”

Meanwhile, on the issue of further vaccination options for NSW, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he had seen “nothing in writing” from Canberra in relation to drive thru vaccine clinics — but he welcomed the idea.

Authorities also issued a special warning for apartment dwellers amid a new unit block outbreak, saying residents must take extra care to avoid spread. An apartment complex was under police guard in Warby St, Campbelltown, with nine cases spanning seven of the units.