November 29 2021
Most of the upper North Island - including Auckland - will go straight into the red level under the new traffic light system from Friday, while the whole of the South Island will go to the less restrictive orange.
A vegan who refused the Covid-19 vaccine because it was tested on animals has died of the virus.
UK man Glynn Steel faced a possibly preventable two-week battle in intensive care, eventually begging the nurses for the Covid-19 vaccine. It was too late to save him.
Glynn, from Worcestershire, was two months from his 55th birthday when he died on November 16.
He started off with what he thought was a cold and gradually got worse before testing positive for Covid-19 on October 27.
He then deteriorated rapidly because of his age and lack of vaccine.
His wife, Emma, called an ambulance but none were available so she had to drive her unconscious husband to the hospital herself.
A few weeks later he died.
Vegan Glynn Steel, who refused to have the jab because they had been tested on animals, told his wife he 'wished he'd had the vaccine' before he died. Photo / GofundMe
Emma, who is double-jabbed, says she is now facing "an empty future alone" and has called on everyone to take the vaccine.
"I insist to everyone I know to get the vaccine." she said.
She revealed some of his last words, where he said: "I have never felt so ill, I wish I'd had the vaccine."
"It was heart wrenching.
"He begged for the vaccine when he was in intensive care before he went on life support but they said that it was too late.
"I've been crying myself into a dehydration every night, and letting the tears flow like a river in the morning and waking up in the night crying.
"It's having to tell people that loved him that they will never see him again, and seeing that pain in them. I'm used to trying to make people laugh, not cry.
"He was a very gentle soul, he was a vegan and didn't want the Covid vaccine because it was tested on animals."
Emma made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support. He died 20 minutes later.
Glynn loved animals, and cared for a total of six rescue cats and dogs at his home.
His love for dogs was also shown when he brought home a dog in need from Sri Lanka while he was on holiday.
His vaccince hesitancy started after he read that producers of many Covid-19 vaccines, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson had tested theirs on animals.
A freedom of information request on animal studies performed for Covid-19 vaccines to the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that by law, medicines are "required to be tested on animals".
Their Customer Service Centre said: "Regarding the question concerning animal testing in general, by law new medicines are required to be tested on animals before they can advance to phase testing on human volunteers in clinical trials."
Glynn's niece Charlotte Steel has launched a Gofundme page to raise money for the funeral.
