His Majesty tested positive for the virus in February and had what Buckingham Palace described as “mild cold-like symptoms”. Speaking at the virtual inauguration of the Queen Elizabeth Unit at the Royal London Hospital, the Queen said of the coronavirus: “It leaves someone very tired and exhausted, is not it? This horrible pandemic. It is not a good result.” The 95-year-old queen spoke to Asef Hussain, one of 800 people being treated at a hospital in north-east London, which was built in five weeks during the pandemic to meet demand. Mr Hussain was the third member of his family to be hospitalized with COVID-19 when he fell ill in December 2020. His brother died, followed by his father, who died while Mr. Hussain was on a ventilator. He told the queen that his wife, Shamima, called 999 after she struggled to catch her breath. “I remember waking up one morning and just having trouble breathing,” he said. “I remember waking my wife up saying I felt there was no oxygen in the room. I remember sticking my head out the window, just trying to breathe, trying to get that extra oxygen.” Mr Hussain has been on a ventilator in the hospital for seven weeks and is still recovering from his illness, having just stopped using a wheelchair. Image: The queen spoke to the hospital staff His wife told the Queen that there were 500 friends and family from all over the world praying for her husband, to which the monarch joked: “So you have a large family or a great influence on people?” The queen heard other stories from patients and staff, with a nurse telling her: “We held their hands, wiped their tears and provided comfort.” Older sister Mireia Lopez Rey Ferrer, who has worked at the hospital since 2008, described her team’s commitment to her patients. “As nurses we made sure they were not alone,” he said. “Sometimes I felt like we were running a marathon without a finish line.” “I look back on the last 18 months with great pride, not only pride in the care we provided to each patient in one of our hospital beds, but pride in every staff member who left families home every day despite fears. and their worries and they came to work. “ Image: A plaque was unveiled by the Queen The Queen also spoke to the construction team that built the unit on the 14th and 15th floors of the hospital, telling them: “It’s very interesting, isn’t it, when there is something very vital, how everyone works together and gathers – isn’t it wonderful?” When the members of the group said that it was the “spirit of Dunkirk”, Her Majesty replied: “Glory to God still exists”.
