# hero Surgeon Killed by Covid



## hollydolly (Nov 19, 2021)

_A hero surgeon who died of Covid while saving patients on the frontline was double-vaccinated but caught the virus just days before boosters became available, his devastated family has revealed.

Grieving widow Saila Halim said Dr Irfan Halim, 45, passed away at Royal Brompton Hospital in West London on November 14 following a nine-week battle with the virus.

The doctor, who had no known health conditions, received his second vaccine in January but was struck down by the disease on September 10, six days before Britain's booster programme was given the green-light.

As a frontline NHS worker who was vaccinated nine months ago, he would have been at the front of the queue for the crucial third shot when they were rolled out on September 16.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mrs Halim said today: 'My husband worked away from London and I'm not sure which vaccine he received but he was double vaccinated and always wore full PPE when he was on the wards.'

Fighting back the tears, she continued: 'He never said anything about getting the booster and I don't think he got one.

'It makes you question the efficiency of the vaccine but now is not the time for me to think about these things because I'm so heartbroken.

'It's a double tragedy for the family and we are in too much pain to consider anything else.'

Dr Halim's death came just two months after he had taken up work on the Covid ICU wards at Great Western Hospital, Swindon, where he collapsed on shift and is believed to have contracted the virus.

Even though the vaccines offer very high protection against serious illness and death, they start to wane at around six months and are not 100 per cent effective. Dr Halim's age, vaccine status and general health should have put him at a lower risk of dying from Covid, even though it had been nine months since his second dose. 

The surgeon was thought of as a medical powerhouse and described by colleagues as like '10 men in one body' after treating 250,000 patients throughout his career. 

He was isolated from his family for four months at the height of the pandemic last spring while treating Covid patients on the front lines.

Mrs Halim revealed she spared her husband the additional grief that his father Kamal, 75, also a doctor, died in another London hospital from Covid on September 24. 

It comes as Covid cases continued to rise across the UK, with 44,242 infections recorded today — up nearly 10 per cent next week. Deaths were also up 8 per cent in a week with 157 victims registered over the past 24 hours.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...n-dies-Covid-spending-months-away-family.html


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## SmoothSeas (Nov 19, 2021)

how sad...


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## win231 (Nov 19, 2021)

If he was double vaccinated, I doubt the booster would have made any difference.


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## hollydolly (Nov 19, 2021)

win231 said:


> If he was double vaccinated, I doubt the booster would have made any difference.


as his wife said, quote ..
_''It makes you question the efficiency of the vaccine but now is not the time for me to think about these things because I'm so heartbroken.''_

The other side of the coin of course is that as a highly qualified doctor and one of the best in his field, he clearly believed in the vaccine or he would be one of the 111,000 NHS workers who haven't been jabbed

Also at only 45 years old..double vaxxed, and no known health issues, it makes you wonder what the hell are we dealing with that can kill a fit, young man who clearly looked after his own health very well


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## Sunny (Nov 19, 2021)

They are beginning to realize that the vaccine, good as it is, starts to lose its strength after 6 months ago; that's why we have boosters.

Sad story.


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## win231 (Nov 19, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> as his wife said, quote ..
> _''It makes you question the efficiency of the vaccine but now is not the time for me to think about these things because I'm so heartbroken.''_
> 
> The other side of the coin of course is that as a highly qualified doctor and one of the best in his field, he clearly believed in the vaccine or he would be one of the 111,000 NHS workers who haven't been jabbed
> ...


Another possibility:  His immune system may have been damaged by the vaccines, leaving him unable to fight the virus.


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## win231 (Nov 19, 2021)

Sunny said:


> They are beginning to realize that the vaccine, good as it is, starts to lose its strength after 6 months ago; that's why we have boosters.
> 
> Sad story.


LOL - "The vaccine, _good as it i_s."
Yeah, the vaccine is good......it just doesn't work, that's all.


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## hollydolly (Nov 19, 2021)

win231 said:


> Another possibility:  His immune system may have been damaged by the vaccines, leaving him unable to fight the virus.


yes absolutely, at this stage we still don't know if this is a possibility


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## Tish (Nov 19, 2021)

What a tragedy.


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## WheatenLover (Nov 19, 2021)

win231 said:


> Another possibility:  His immune system may have been damaged by the vaccines, leaving him unable to fight the virus.


Or maybe he was exposed to so much of the virus, that it overwhelmed his body, even though he was vaccinated. I am not a scientist, by any means. This is just a thought I had.


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## Remy (Nov 19, 2021)

What a beautiful family. What sadness for his wife and children. And this doctors loss of life. 

I should have scheduled my booster sooner as my second shot was in January but I'm scheduled next week.


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## Kaila (Nov 19, 2021)

Very sad, indeed, and a loss for everyone.
Wonderful photo of family.


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## Sunny (Nov 20, 2021)

win231 said:


> If he was double vaccinated, I doubt the booster would have made any difference.


And you got your medical degree where, Win?


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## Pauline1954 (Nov 20, 2021)

win231 said:


> If he was double vaccinated, I doubt the booster would have made any difference.


What was he treated with? Monoclonal antibodies are excellent way to recover. I just wonder why and exactly what was used. Too sad, really.


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## win231 (Nov 20, 2021)

Sunny said:


> And you got your medical degree where, Win?


The same place you got yours.


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## helenbacque (Nov 20, 2021)

I think controlling Covid will be a moving target for a very long time.


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