Family pay tribute to Sumith Premachandra who died from COVID-19
A 55-year-old nurse and father of two has tragically become Victoria’s youngest person to die from coronavirus, with family remembering him as “kind-hearted” and “generous” man dedicated to his job.
HS Coronavirus News
Don't miss out on the headlines from HS Coronavirus News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A 55-year-old nurse working in the disability sector is Victoria’s youngest person to die of COVID-19.
Father of two Sumith Premachandra, from Rowville, was remembered by grieving relatives as a “giant teddy bear” with a “gentle heart” who was working on the healthcare frontline.
His family was at the hospital but could not be by his bedside when he died on Sunday.
Sharyn and Gillain Gaetano wrote in an online tribute to their father: “Our hearts are broken into a million pieces. He was the most charismatic, kind-hearted, generous, hilarious, loveable, godly and caring man you would ever meet.”
“Our dad was a disability nurse, a health care worker on the frontline, but for those of you who aren’t taking COVID-19 seriously, it may be hard not to see your friends and family at the moment but you can choose to isolate now or potentially live with the heartbreak of losing them forever”.
Mr Premachandra’s niece Talia Pereira wrote in a video tribute from Sri Lanka: “Never had the chance to say goodbye nor can I come to your funeral so I will leave this here so that my small world knows how much you mean to me”.
The video included messages saying: “Thanks for being kind and always keeping us entertained no matter what happened” and “thank you for showing what love is no matter how difficult it got.”
Ms Pereira wrote: “as you leave us today, remember you will always have a special place in my heart”.
Victoria’s death toll now stands at 10. It comes as the state’s Chief Health Officer warns that thousands of Victorians could die if the state government relaxes its tough social distancing measures.
The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria yesterday increased by 23 to 1158, and 45 of them are in hospital, including 11 in intensive care.
Despite the number of new cases continuing to fall, authorities are concerned about a steady increase in local transmissions.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, said it would take at least another week before a proper trend in the data could be seen.
He said it was imperative that tough social distancing measures remain in force.
“If we break the rules now, we will change our future and we will have the kind of epidemic spike that Europe and North America have seen,” he said.
“And that does not mean 30 deaths, that means 30,000 deaths. We have to make the sacrifices and take them seriously now because it will make a difference.”
MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS
VICTORIAN GIVEN MIXED MESSAGES OVER HOLIDAYS