'I'm still haunted that he died alone': The last voices of the Covid inquiry

"We were just expecting him to be given a bit of oxygen and then he'd be sent home. Michael deteriorated in hospital. His cough became so severe he had to send a WhatsApp message to tell her he was being put on a ventilator. Two weeks later, the family was told he would never recover and that doctors were going to reduce his life support."

"It was a dark and terrifying time and difficult to get updates from the hospital. I feared the worst every time the phone rang. Her mother was discharged after a week, but now rarely leaves the house after suffering from long-term effects, including breathlessness, confusion and stomach pains."

"Since public hearings began in June 2023, the inquiry has taken oral evidence from 381 witnesses in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, and reviewed 600,000 documents from WhatsApp chats to private diary entries. As well as questioning prime ministers, senior officials and scientists, it has heard from individuals directly affected including porters, cleaners, care workers and nurses in Covid wards."

The Covid inquiry concluded its public hearings after examining the pandemic's impact through testimony from 381 witnesses across multiple UK locations. Rivka Gottlieb shared her experience of losing her father, Michael, a 73-year-old who deteriorated rapidly after admission to Royal Free hospital in March 2020. He died alone on a ventilator while her mother was hospitalized separately. The inquiry reviewed 600,000 documents and questioned prime ministers, officials, scientists, and frontline workers including porters, cleaners, and nurses. The investigation has become one of Britain's most expensive inquiries, costing 204 million pounds with an additional 111 million spent on government legal representation.

Read at www.bbc.com