A Government senator has appealed to the public to talk to their doctors about vaccines after her cousin died of Covid-19.

Lindsay Simmons said the recent death had left a family in mourning, including her cousin’s mother, siblings and three children.

She added: “He was their world. He was his sister’s world.

“I just want to take this time to encourage people to seek the advice of their doctors and find out if they should take the shot.

“I think we need to stop listening to Dr Facebook, Dr Google and Dr Instagram and sit down with medical professionals.”

Ms Simmons said yesterday she was tired of waking up to see “rest in peace” and “sleep in peace” messages on social media and that too many people had died because of the virus.

A total of 44 people have died in the fourth wave of the coronavirus, which brought the death toll since the pandemic hit to 87.

Ms Simmons said: “It bothers me daily to see families going through this.

“I think we need to take a minute and reflect on our own families, our own children, our own parents. Too many people are losing loved ones unnecessarily.”

Ms Simmons added the Government had done everything it could to make sure vaccines were available to everyone who could take them.

She said there was a need for the public to protect people who could not get the shots.

Ms Simmons added that her daughter had contracted Covid-19, but had since recovered.

She said: “I was devastated. “I had the vaccine, my family had the vaccine, but she wasn’t protected.

“When her doctor called me, I was through the roof. Everybody else tested negative and she was positive and symptomatic.”

Ms Simmons added: “There are too many young people dying from the coronavirus and we need to take time and protect ourselves and our family members because these lives are worth saving.”