Queen Elizabeth II felt “exhausted” after she caught COVID in February, the soon-to-be 96-year-old monarch revealed during a videoconference where she spoke to British caregivers mobilized during the pandemic.
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Elizabeth II had tested positive for COVID-19 in February and presented according to Buckingham Palace “mild symptoms”.
The virus is making ‘very tired and exhausted, isn’t it?’ she said on Wednesday, speaking to Asef Hussain, a former COVID patient, at the virtual inauguration of a care unit in his name at the Royal London Hospital in the British capital.
Already before catching COVID, the sovereign had considerably lightened her agenda since a night of hospitalization in October, the nature of which has never been revealed. She has retreated since the start of the pandemic to Windsor Castle, about forty kilometers from London, and is now struggling to move.
Last week, she participated in a religious ceremony in tribute to her husband Prince Philip, who died a year ago, marking his great return to his subjects after months of absence.
At the end of the meeting with the caregivers, Elizabeth II discussed with the construction team who set up the care unit in a few weeks to cope with the increase in the number of patients. “It’s interesting, when there is something vital, everyone works together. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” she said.
Staff in Britain’s public health system, the NHS, have been under pressure during the pandemic, with long shifts, stuffy equipment and the risk of catching the virus and infecting their families.
Some 33,000 NHS medical staff quit between July and September 2021, including nearly 7,000 in search of a better life balance, according to official statistics. That’s nearly double the last quarter of 2019, just before the pandemic.