Children of people who died in the early days of the pandemic have said they are “disgusted” by claims made by former No 10 aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain about the Covid investigation.
Dr Saleikha Ahsan, an emergency physician, lost her 81-year-old father Ahsan ul-Haq Chaudhry to Covid on Christmas Day 2020.
Mr Chaudhry had been shielding during the pandemic but contracted Covid from his carer or during a hospital visit in December, the doctor said. Ahsan.
She said I When she heard at the inquest that Boris Johnson agreed with Tory MPs that Covid was “nature’s way of treating old people”, she felt sick. Evidence was discovered in the diaries of former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.
“My father was 81 years old, he got Covid and died,” the doctor said. Ahsan. “[Mr Johnson] in fact does not even understand the value of human life. I’m still trying to cope with the feeling of nausea – it’s disgusting.”
The age Mr Chaudhry died was the same age Mr Johnson said the men had died of Covid in a WhatsApp conversation with his communications director Lee Cain, the inquest heard on Tuesday.
In that conversation in October 2020 – two months before Mr Chaudhry’s death – the then prime minister wrote: “I have to say that I am somewhat shocked by some of the Covid mortality data.” , 85 years for women. This exceeds life expectancy. So take care of Covid and live longer.”
He also said that “hardly anyone under the age of 60 goes to hospital” and that he no longer buys “all that stuff the NHS is overburdened with”.
Dr Ahsan said: “My father was in good health, his condition was stable and he was living a full life. What is this? A culling exercise?
The North Lancashire teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, lost her mother to Covid in 2020. She said I: “Hearing the then Prime Minister essentially say that older people can get this… these older people are people.
“It makes me sick because we have lost people in our home and hearing about this unprofessionalism makes me sick.”
Fiona Cameron, from London, who lost her mother Irene to Covid, said the inquiry had reassured her and her mother about government decisions during the pandemic.
“We’re not crazy,” she said. I.
Before the pandemic hit, Ms Cameron’s mother underwent months of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer: “She then spent a year and a half shielding. It was quite traumatic for her.” She died in July 2021.
Ms Cameron hopes the inquiry will allow the voices of those hit hardest by the pandemic to be heard and expose the consequences of poor decision-making within government.
“Not being able to visit loved ones in hospital or have a proper funeral is a hidden trauma,” she said.
“Preparing for a hospital stay required a lot of little things. You prepared a mask, prepared gloves, a protective mask, then ordered a taxi and had a very difficult conversation with the driver who did not have a mask or would not open the window.
“It sounds crazy, but all this tension builds.”
Speaking about the Covid investigation so far and the dysfunction at the heart of government it has exposed, Ms Cameron said: “The only saving grace – it’s sad – but I’m glad my mother is no longer in sight.”
Brenda Doherty, a spokeswoman for Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said earlier on Tuesday that she felt “like a punch to the stomach” reading the news from Mr Johnson.
She added: “I would have done anything to spend one more day with my mother and we know now that if the country had had a more humane Prime Minister when the pandemic hit, we would have been together for years to come.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.