Bodies of Covid victims were ‘double bagged like toxic waste’ with their clothes incinerated and belongings put in Tesco carrier bags, bereaved families tell inquiry
Covid victims were treated as ‘toxic waste’ and their belongings put in Tesco carrier bags, bereaved families revealed today.
Campaign groups told the UK Covid Inquiry there was a ‘human price’ for the country’s lack of preparedness for the pandemic – including a lack of personal protective equipment and testing.
Brenda Doherty, whose mother was the first woman to die from the virus in Northern Ireland, told the UK Covid Inquiry that she was ‘double packed like toxic waste’ and that her belongings were ‘burned’ after she died from the virus.
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, who was knocked down by Covid in Wales, said his body had been ‘zipped away’ and his personal items were given to family in a Tesco shopping bag.
The three-year study, held at offices in Paddington in west London, has been split into several tranches.
Brenda Doherty, whose mother was the first woman to die from the virus in Northern Ireland, told the UK Covid Inquiry she was ‘double packed like toxic waste’ and her belongings were ‘burnt’ after she died from the virus
Members of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK and Northern Ireland Larry Byrne, Martina Ferguson and Sioux Vosper outside the Covid-19 Inquiry in London on July 18, 2023
The first, to be completed this week, examines the UK’s preparedness and resilience to a pandemic.
Ms Doherty, co-leader of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Northern Ireland, told the inquiry how her 82-year-old mother became infected with Covid while waiting to be released from hospital.
Ms Doherty said she received a call from hospital staff that her mother was dealing with ‘a battle she wasn’t going to win’.
Less than 12 hours later, her mother had passed away.
Discussing her funeral, Mrs Doherty said: ‘We didn’t get Mummy’s clothes back from the hospital. It was burned. Thanks to the kindness of a nurse, we got a cross back.
“I like to think she was in the nightgown I brought here, but the reality is she was double wrapped like toxic waste.”
She added, “I’m here to remind everyone of the human price we paid as bereaved families.
‘My mummy was not cannon fodder. My mama was a wonderful little woman who had the spirit of Goliath and I know she’s standing by my side today.”
Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees, head of Covid Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, shared how her father Ian, 85, died ‘gasping’ after contracting Covid.
He was admitted to a hospital in Abergavenny in 2020 with a gallbladder infection, where he became infected.
She likened finding out information about his care and how he contracted Covid “almost like an Agatha Christie mystery.”
But she found that he was moved around the hospital six times in eight days before being discharged. His family was not informed that there had been an outbreak of Covid in his department.
His health deteriorated rapidly, so that her mother Valerie called the doctor 13 times and went to the doctor’s office four times.
Ian was eventually hospitalized again, but his condition worsened.
Ms Marsh-Rees, who is calling for changes in how health authorities deal with deaths, told the inquiry that her father had been ‘zipped away’ and his belongings put in a Tesco carrier bag.
She said: ‘When someone dies with Covid, they are almost treated like toxic waste.
“They’re zipped away and nobody told us you can’t wash them, you can’t dress them, you can’t do all those things. The funeral, the ceremonies, you can’t help that.’
Ms Marsh-Rees added: ‘When we left hospital we were given my father’s things in a Tesco carrier bag,’ she said.
“There’s a whole generation, my mom’s generation, that doesn’t have the mechanisms, maybe I should complain and ask questions and they’re heartbroken, really in shock.
“My mother cries daily and even though it’s been almost three years, we would like to see something change in their lives.”
While other inquiries have opened around the world, the UK is the first to reach public hearings with witness statements.
Many familiar faces that have been thrust into the spotlight during the pandemic have appeared. This includes Sir Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance.
Jeremy Hunt, David Cameron, George Osborne and Matt Hancock are among the politicians who have already testified for Baroness Hallett’s investigation.
About 70 witnesses contributed to the first module on pandemic preparedness.
The first module will run for six weeks, starting on June 12 and ending on July 19. The probe — which will also examine vaccines, the healthcare sector and government procurement — is not expected to be completed until 2026.
The second module and exam G will start in the autumngovernment decision-making during the pandemic.