Prayers for popular Sydney man in ICU with Covid-19

Mansour Keirouz, 30, is currently in the intensive care unit (ICU) and “unresponsive” after contracting the deadly virus.On Thursday night, St Charbel’s Maronite church in Punchbowl – where Mr Keirouz is a youth member – came together in support where they held a virtual prayer for the young parishioner. “We request that you offer up a prayer for our beloved youth member MJ … Please keep him in your prayers,” the parish wrote.People flooded Facebook groups with prayers and support for Mr Keirouz – who was widely known as MJ.“Praying for you MJ and all those affected by Covid. May God bring you healing and bring your family comfort in His everlasting love,” one woman wrote.Punchbowl falls under the Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Area – one of eight LGAs across Sydney’s south west and west currently subjected to strict lockdown orders.It is unknown where or how Mr Keirouz contracted the virus.There were 56 Covid-19 cases in intensive care units on Wednesday, the highest number since the pandemic began. About half of these cases are ventilated. Ten NSW residents were younger than 20 in intensive care, issuing a chilling warning to young people.NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said 22 people are on ventilators but did not reveal which age brackets they fit into.“They’re young,” she said of the patients in ICU. Many of the cases are young. It’s not only an old persons’ disease.NSW reported 239 new local cases on Thursday — marking the darkest day for the state since the pandemic began.Thirteen people have now died with Covid-19 during the outbreak. A woman in her 90s and a man in his 80s died on Wednesday. Both were unvaccinated.