The distraught son of a blood cancer patient who died from Covid despite being vaccinated says a shorter gap between jabs could have made a crucial difference.
David Graff, 78, was admitted to hospital with a urine infection in February, five weeks after he was given his first jab, but died within days of testing positive for coronavirus.
Worrying research suggests that vaccines may not work for some people battling blood cancers - meaning thousands are left in limbo as Boris Johnson weighs up completely lifting Covid restrictions later this month month.
The tragedy highlights the urgent need for research into how effective jabs are for patients, Blood Cancer UK says.
The charity has previously called for the gap between first and doses to be reduced to three weeks for people with conditions such as leukaemia - a move Mr Graff's son Steven might have made a difference in his father's case.
He told the Mirror: "Every vulnerable person should have had the vaccine quicker to get more protection straight away."
Steven, 30, said he was stunned to be told that his father, who was diagnosed with myeloma seven years earlier, had tested positive for Covid-19 after being admitted to North Manchester General Hospital with a urine infection.
Tragically Steven said he was told there was nothing medics could do to save his father.
He said: "He did think he was safe. He'd had the vaccine, we did think he was a bit more protected, but he was nervous going into hospital."
Steven continued: "He was a very fit and healthy man. He never retired, he kept on working, he was a young 78.
"Nobody would have thought he was 78, he wasn't an old man. People with myeloma often live for 20 years or more after they're diagnosed.
"He did everything himself, nobody would have asked him if he needed any help, he was one of those guys who just got on with things."
Hours before his death, Mr Graff's called his son Steven begging to be taken home.
"The doctor called me and said he had a water infection and they were giving him antibiotics," he said.
"But 48 hours later a doctor called me up and said 'actually your father has Covid'. He said your father isn't going to make it."
He was allowed to visit Mr Graff in the hospital Covid ward, and was with him when he died.
"He was saying he wanted to come home," Steven said. "Two hours before he died he called saying 'you need to pick me up'.
"He said you may have to call the police."
Now he hopes more research can be carried out so medics can make better informed decisions on how to protect patients.
"They're making decisions on people's lives without having the knowledge they need," Steven - who favours lifting restrictions - said.
In March a study found that after one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, just 13 per cent of a small sample of blood cancer patients developed lifesaving antibodies.
The research, by experts from King's College London and the Francis Crick Institute, found that an early second dose appeared to increase antibody response in 95 per cent of cancer patients.
Campaigners say it is crucial that research is carried out to find out how to protect patients as the UK unlocks.
Blood Cancer UK and Kidney Care last week joined forces to call for the lifting of restrictions to be postponed due to rising Covid cases.
Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Blood Cancer UK, said: “Many people are now saying we don't need to be too worried about the rising infection rate because vulnerable people have now been vaccinated.
"But this ignores the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people with compromised immune systems who don't yet know whether the vaccines have worked for them.
“While we share everyone’s impatience to lift restrictions, people with blood cancer, transplants or auto-immune conditions cannot be the collateral damage in the country getting back to normal.
"They already make up a much higher proportion of intensive care admissions for Covid than they did earlier in the pandemic, and we have grave fears for what would happen to them if we see a return to the kind of rates we saw in January.
“Given so many people are still vulnerable, it would be reckless to further ease restrictions at a time when the virus is growing exponentially."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure as many people as possible benefit from the protection provided by the vaccine.
"We know that the antibody response is only part of the overall protection provided by the vaccine and our antivirals taskforce is working to identify effective treatments for patients who have been exposed to the virus, as a way to stop the infection spreading and accelerate people’s recovery time – including individuals who are immunocompromised.
“While shielding advice was lifted on 1 April, we have continued to recommend clinically extremely vulnerable people take extra precautions to protect themselves.
"This includes minimising any risk of exposure to Covid-19 and following the clinical guidance.”
