A Malaysian little girl has taken to YouTube to share her personal experience of losing a loved one to Covid-19.

The nine-year-old girl, Mavis, shared her experience about how she lost her beloved grandfather to Covid-19, due to his irresponsible friend who did not isolate himself or inform anyone about his Covid-19 positive status.

In the YouTube video published on Feb. 19, Mavis repeatedly emphasised the importance of being socially responsible and to avoid underestimating the impact of the virus.

Irresponsible friend

Mavis, who is one-half of the sister duo behind the M&M channel, opened the video with a disclaimer that unlike the previous videos, she will be talking about how her grandfather was infected with Covid-19.

Titled, "Our 'Coronavirus" Experience - True story!", the 11-minute long video conducted mainly in Mandarin has garnered 73,825 views at the time of writing.

Mavis, who is the older sister, started by explaining how her grandfather's good friend had spread Covid-19 to him.

On Dec. 31, 2020, her grandfather's good friend had called him to go out for tea.

On Dec. 27 or 28, his good friend had done a Covid-19 test but did not disclose this to her grandfather.

On Jan. 1, 2021, the friend was notified of his positive test result, but he still did not inform her grandfather about it and refused to take the matter seriously.

Delayed Covid test

Mavis's grandfather fell sick on Jan. 4, 2021, and visited a clinic twice but did not recover.

According to her, he had flu, back ache, and chills for a week and during both visits, the doctor did not advise him to take a Covid-19 test.

Mavis claimed she was completely baffled that the doctor did not ask her grandfather to take a Covid-19 test.

"Why are this doctor and my grandfather's friend so irresponsible?" she exclaimed.

It was only until Jan. 11, 2021, when Mavis's mother told my grandfather to go to an "emergency Sunway hospital" because "the third doctor finally told him to go to a hospital and take a Covid-19 test".

Mavis shared that her grandfather was found to have pneumonia and had to be hospitalised.

As his Covid-19 test result was not out yet, her family could not go to the hospital with him.

Positive test result and ICU

The next morning, Mavis's family learnt that her grandfather had tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted into ICU (Intensive Care Unit) the same morning.

Due to her grandfather's difficulty in breathing and reliance on a ventilator, his condition fluctuated for 18 days.

His hospital stay for four days alone cost RM50,000 (S$16,323.74).

Mavis also explained why he was not immediately transferred to Sunway Sungai Buloh hospital.

The hospital beds there were full so her grandfather was only transferred after the Sungai Buloh hospital phoned her mother to inform her that there were beds available.

Their family was once again denied entry to visit him due to Covid-19.

Grandfather's passing

The elderly man passed away on Jan. 29, 2021.

Mavis claimed her family had received a call from the hospital in the middle of the night, informing them that her grandfather was not going to make it.

The next day, his condition appeared to have improved, but he soon passed away after a couple of days.

Mavis added that they could not see him for one last time as there was no signal during the video call.

Covid-19 test for family

Finally, Mavis disclosed, "all of us, not just myself, Megan and my parents, but also my aunties etc., went for a Covid-19 test on Jan. 12, 2021".

Six of them, namely her grandfather, her grandmother, her younger sister, her younger cousin and two aunts, contracted Covid-19.

Best person in the world

Mavis said her grandfather was a good man, even calling him "the best person in the world".

He would cook her favourite food and took her out to eat.

He would always be prepared to help her blow-dry her hair after her shower, she said.

Pictures of her grandfather and other images were included at the end of the video.

Message for viewers

Mavis said that the intention of the video is to advise viewers to visit a clinic to check their health and go to a hospital to take a Covid-19 test if they feel ill.

She reminded viewers to stay at home or just avoid having physical contact with anyone if they really have Covid-19.

She also asked for viewers to share this video so people can see how unbearable such an experience is.

Accompanying the video is the following caption:

"(No one knows how badly this coronavirus can affect us, young children!)

Thank you for sharing our video. The intention of this video is only to spread more awareness of Covid-19. We have to take necessary precautions, not just for ourselves, but for others. Particularly the elderly, please stay at home and ensure safety.

If you encounter anyone who has lost their loved ones to Covid-19 or are prepared for such an outcome, and they are unsure of what to do, perhaps my aunt is able to help.

My aunt felt very helpless when going through the process of handling a Covid-19 death. She had to still go around inquiring about the different administrative processes (KKM, Sg. Buloh hospital and bereavement procedures) while grieving.

My aunt can provide information on contact ways and procedures.

Hope this little contribution can help out those in need! Don't be afraid, you will see the light in times of hardship.

018-2016232 (Please help to share this, let's do our best to help everyone together)

Hope that the pandemic can be brought under control soon and everyone is healthy, especially the elderly in the family who need to take care of their safety. If you have any doubts regarding this matter, please leave a comment."

Netizens' comments

The comment section feature both English and Chinese comments.

Here are translations of some of the Chinese comments:

"Losing a life over a tea session, just hearing it is unbearable. I wish to tell that friend, please do not underestimate the pandemic because you're not only risking yourself but others as well. One cannot behave so irresponsibly."

"Thank you for sharing, you are very brave. You need to stay strong, your grandfather understands your love and pain. Your video has reminded everyone to be more careful and to be aware of their own selfish actions. I will pray for you and your grandfather."

"Watching this is so heartbreaking for me. The pain of losing a loved one and not being able to see them for the last time. Thank you for sharing your personal experience to warn others, everyone needs to be aware, the virus is invisible, protecting yourself and others around you"

"I feel sad for you. Having tea outside with others is very dangerous because masks are not worn when consuming food."

"Compared to young children, some old people lack knowledge of Covid-19 precautions and are also stubborn. I hope this video can act as a reminder for everyone. Stay strong!"

Top image via M&M Channel.