Two more NSW Covid deaths, one linked to Pendle Hill funeral

Shattered relatives watched on as police and paramedics entered the property of a woman in her 80s who died of Covid.

The death of a woman in her 80s who tested positive to Covid-19 can be linked to a gathering of 50 people in Sydney’s west, at least 28 of whom now have the virus.

The woman’s body was found in a home at Pendle Hill about lunchtime on Monday, with NSW Police blocking off the street to ensure passers-by did not come in contact with any residents.

NSW Health confirmed the woman, and a man in his 80s who died at Campbelltown Hospital on Monday, were both linked to Covid.

Forensic investigator at the Pendle Hill home where a woman in her 80s died from Covid-19. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Police at the Pendle Hill home where a woman in her 80s died from Covid-19. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that on July 19 – exactly a week before the woman’s death – a large group of family gathered at the same Pendle Hill address to mourn the passing of another relative, whose death was not related to Covid.

Neighbours in the area said they had noticed carloads of people arriving at the home two weekends ago, but did not report the illegal gathering to authorities because they were aware of the initial tragedy.

“We saw the police here the first time and the body being carried out,” the local said.

“There were heaps of people coming in and out, three or four at a time, but I didn’t want to say anything because they had just lost someone. It is very sad.”

Shattered relatives were forced to sit in the front yard of their home on Monday as police and paramedics entered the property.

Police at the Pendle Hill home where a woman in her 80s died from Covid-19. Picture: Jonathan Ng

At Saturday’s press conference, deputy chief health officer Jeremy McNulty said the gathering was a tragic, but timely reminder, of how important it is for loved ones not to visit each other.

“There was an event in Pendle Hill we are concerned about … which took place following a tragedy in the family,” Dr McNulty said.

“It’s an example of how families coming together, even in tragic times when you’re naturally grieving, can be a risk where Covid can easily take hold and spread out to their households and then further afield.”

In another case of inter-family transmission, Green Valley woman Saeeda Akobi Jjou Stu, 57, last week died three days after first testing positive.

Her husband, and their removalist twin sons Roni and Ramsin Shawka, 27, have also contracted Covid.

While both the man and woman who died on Monday were elderly, authorities have been at pains to stress the virus can impact all age groups – as the passing of 39-year-old woman Adriana Takara over the weekend showed.

The NSW death toll of the current Delta outbreak stands at 10, while there has been a total of 66 Covid-related deaths in the state.