Covid-positive Melbourne dad Zain Tiba fighting for life

A 45-year-old Melbourne man has been described as “one of the sickest coronavirus patients in Australia” as his family issues a desperate plea for people to get vaxxed.

Greenvale man Zain Tiba was struck down by coronavirus on September 6.

The daughter of a man Melbourne doctors have labelled one of the “sickest Covid patients in the country” is urging all Australians to get the jab.

Greenvale dad-of-five Zain Tiba, 45, was perfectly healthy with no underlying medical conditions before he was struck down by coronavirus on September 6.

Mr Tiba’s daughter Ella Zain says her sick dad is now fighting for his life at The Alfred hospital, on a ventilator, kidney dialysis and ecmo machines in an intensive care unit.

“If my dad would have gotten the vaccine, it would have avoided all the hardships,” Ms Zain told the Herald Sun.

“My dad is not doing too well, we are very worried for him. The doctors have said he is one of the sickest coronavirus patients in Australia.

“He has deteriorated since he got the virus. He is fully reliant on the machines he is connected to. He is not an old man. It just all happened so suddenly.”

Greenvale man Zain Tiba with his daughter Ella Zain.

Ms Zain said her dad was hesitant about the vaccine and had not received the jab before he contracted the virus.

“We’re not anti-vax. Every vaccination that has come out, he always got them,” she said.

“We were researching both sides; he was unsure.

“His position was to wait a little bit longer and see what happens. Never did we think this would happen.

“Now it is too late.

“My advice to anyone who is unsure would be to block out the negativity and trust the health experts.”

Ms Zain, 23, said she and her entire family had been struck down by the virus and her mum, Yasmine, was also hospitalised.

“It can affect everyone so differently and it is the same disease,” she said.

“I was lucky, I only had a mild case.”

She said seeing her dad unconscious and connected to multiple machines was heartbreaking.

“When I saw Dad on a ventilator, it was too much to take in — we all had breakdowns,” she said.

“It is heartbreaking and a lot to see. We’re not allowed to be by his bedside. We can FaceTime him, but it is not the same as seeing your loved one in that position.”

Mr Tiba is a well-respected businessman in Melbourne’s Muslim community who runs a successful training business.

“Everyone loves and cares for him,” Ms Zain said of her father.

“Every day we are just waiting, hoping for his recovery. The doctors are fighting extra hard for him because he is so young. They have been so amazing and extremely supportive.

“I wouldn’t want anyone in the world to experience this.

“Go and get the vaccine.”