how covid ripped through a young family of four and put a mother in hospital before her daughters could even say goodbye

A father whose family were struck down by Covid-19 has opened up on the grim reality of living with the virus and having a loved one fight for life in hospital. 

Jason and his two daughters, Jada and Kaylon, have been locked down inside their home in Toongabbie, western Sydney, while his wife Gig, 40, spent five days in ICU in Westmead Hospital before being moved to a Covid ward.

He believes if he had not been fully vaccinated he would have been hospitalised too, while if Gig had chosen to try and fight the virus at home she may not have survived.

Fully vaccinated Jason is caring for his two daughter Jada and Kaylon while their mother Gig recovers in Westmead's Covid-19 ward

The family tested positive on August 12, soon after being told a worker at their local daycare centre was a close contact. 

Gig was already ill and after initially experiencing slight aches and pains her condition deteriorated over the course of a week, Jason told A Current Affair.

Jason grew concerned when he noticed his wife was unable to keep up with conversations on a Friday night and rushed her to hospital when she was barely able to breathe or move the next day. 

In a cruel twist of fate, Gig was booked in for her Covid-19 vaccine - her husband had already been fully vaccinated. 

Jason believes that's the main reason he's not in hospital, and is grateful he's been able to care for his children while his wife recovers.

He said the hardest part of dealing with the virus was watching his girls be separated from their mother before they were able to say goodbye, uncertain of what could happen next. 

Gig has since been able to keep in touch with the family by sending videos and photos from her hospital bed after she was moved out of ICU on Friday.

Gig, 40, spent five days in ICU until she was moved to a Covid-19 ward on Friday after all members of the family became infected on August 12

Despite her gradual recovery Jason does not expect his wife to return home any time soon as he and the girls prepare for another week without her.

He urged anyone with the virus who is feeling unwell not to treat it like 'you've got the flu' and to attend a hospital, admitting his wife was one of the lucky ones after being reminded of the death of Ianeta Isaako, 30, at her home in nearby Emerton on Monday.

'With the young lady who died, with three kids at home, she would have been thinking "my husband is in hospital, I need to take care of my kids, I'll fight through this",' he said. 

'Just get yourself straight into an ambulance and call Triple-Zero, the worst is they'll tell you "you're right stay at home", let them make that call for you.'

Jason also wanted to send a message to Covid skeptics and the vaccine hesitant about the grim reality of coronavirus.

'I don't want anyone else to go through what we've been through, whether it's an individual or a family,' he said. 

'My wife misses our kids, she misses me, and we miss her, it's a hard situation and I hope no one else has to go through that.'

Jason said so far the hardest part of dealing with the virus was watching his girls be separated from their mother before they were able to say goodbye