Family of Melbourne man blast health authorities for ‘backflipping’ on his cause of death

The grieving family of a young man who health officials say died from Covid have blasted authorities for reclassifying his cause of death.

A Melbourne man in his 20s who health officials say died from Covid-19 suffered serious illnesses, and had previously had a heart attack, his family have revealed.

The grieving family of the young Craigieburn man have blasted health authorities for “backflipping” on his cause of death. The Herald Sun has been told the coroner informed the man’s family he died of cardiac arrest but later received “revised reports” that attributed Covid-19 as the official cause of death.

The man’s cousin, who did not wish to be named, said the victim had lived with a severe lung condition in the months before his death and had previously suffered a heart attack.

“He was a heavy smoker,” he said. “Everyone knew that he had lung issues. They’re reporting it as a Covid case, when it was because of lung issues.”

Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson on Tuesday said a post-mortem identified the man, who died at home, was carrying the virus.

She said details were still being gathered, but there were “strong indications” from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine that warranted it to be classified as a virus-related death. “He wasn’t a case we were aware of, so we’re getting information from the coroner,” Ms Matson said.

A close friend of the man’s family, who also didn’t wish to be identified, said the alleged reclassification had wreaked havoc on the family’s burial plans as they were all forced into isolation.

“It’s absolutely not fair for the family for it to be labelled a Covid death where they can’t even be there for the burial of their own son,” the friend said.

“How can an autopsy come back so quickly? How can they claim a Covid death? It’s traumatising for the parents and for his siblings as well.”

A woman in her 80s, from St Albans, died in the Royal Melbourne Hospital in the previous days; however, the Department of Health was only notified on Monday.

“The department is formally notified of deaths of people known to have Covid-19 via Births, Deaths and Marriages records. We advise the Victorian community upon receiving formal notification,” a spokesman said.

Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson on Tuesday said a post-mortem identified the man was carrying the virus. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Victoria reported 445 locally acquired new cases of on Tuesday, with just 129 linked to known outbreaks. There are now 158 Covid-infected Victorians in hospital, 45 of those in intensive care and 23 on a ventilator. Just one person in hospital was fully vaccinated, while 8 per cent had received one dose, and 91 per cent had not been vaccinated.

That prompted the family of a Melbourne dad who died of the virus on Monday to urge the community to get vaccinated.

Martin ‘Marty’ Blight, 43, who died in hospital after contracting the virus at the Serco call centre in Mill Park, was not vaccinated.

His last social media post on Thursday September 9 read: “Covid sux guys look after yourselves plz do what ever you can to self distance that's one thing I would say that works.....”

Meanwhile, the V/Line outbreak has worsened with a seventh worker testing positive on Tuesday. And outbreak fears are growing at the Metropolitan Remand Centre, where another three prisoners have tested positive to COVID-19m taking that cluster to five.