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24-year-old identical twins Joefred Gregory and Ralfred Gregory were inseparable from the time they entered and departed the world.

Together till the end, both men tragically died of complications related to Covid-19.

According to The New York Times (NYT), Joefred passed on May 13.

A day later, Ralfred passed on May 14.

Caught the disease together

Joefred and Ralfred displayed fever symptoms concurrently on Apr. 24, according to NYT.

The rest of their family – consisting their parents and an elder brother – tended to them at home with some over-the-counter medicine.

However, Joefred and Ralfred's conditions began to deteriorate.

A week later, the family decided to seek medical advice.

This came amidst the spike in Covid-19 cases that was ravaging India, especially in their hometown of Meerut.

At the hospital, both Joefred and Ralfred tested positive for Covid-19.

The twins were in critical condition and had very dangerous lung infections, which the virus was said to have thoroughly destroyed, according to NYT.

Placed on ventilators

They were admitted in to the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) and placed on ventilators. Joefred was in bed 10 while Ralfred was in bed 14.

Joefred's blood oxygen levels fell to a dangerous 48 per cent on the morning of May 13; half of what is considered normal and healthy, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

On the same day, Joefred succumbed to the disease.

Brother sensed the other had died

Ralfred asked his parents where his brother was, realising he was no longer in the ICU. His mother replied that his brother had been transferred to a bigger hospital in Delhi, India, according to The Times of India.

"We thought his condition would get worse if we told him what happened," his father said, according to NYT.

But sensing something was amiss, Ralfred insisted that his mother come clean and told his mother: "Mummy, you lied. You tell me the truth."

However, his mother decided against breaking the news to Ralfred. The next morning, less than 24 hours after Joefred's passing, Ralfred followed after.

Went through life together

The twins were born three minutes apart, and were very close as children.

Neighbours remarked that this persisted even in the twin's adulthood, where both men were computer engineers from Meerut in North India.

Rarely apart, only a handful of people, besides their parents, could distinguish between the two.

After Joefred's death, their father knew that the chances of Ralfred's survival was slim. “Whatever happened to one, it happened to the other,” he told The Times of India.

He said: “That’s how it was since their birth. I had told my wife after we got news that Jeofred had died that Ralfred won’t return home alone either. They died on May 13 and May 14, hours apart.”

Gripped the nation

According to NYT, India had 4,529 documented deaths and broke the world record for the highest number of reported Covid-19 deaths in a single day on May 19.

On May 20, the total number of known infections stands at 25.8 million and the death toll reported was 3,874, according to the World Health Organization.

NYT noted that Joefred and Ralfred's story went viral across India's news and media outlets and social media, perhaps due to their young age and health.

They had just turned 24 a day before they were diagnosed with the Covid-19 virus, according to Business Today.

Both men are buried beneath a tree, in separate coffins but the same grave.

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Top image from Bk Sajitha/FB and Johan Ranchi/FB