Covid-19: We should have national day of remembrance – Helen Martin

PEOPLE who have lost an elderly relative from coronavirus will be haunted for the rest of their lives if their late gran, grandad, mum or dad, was infected in a hospital or a care home, or in their own home by a carer with no symptoms.

The same will be the case if a young NHS nurse or carer died, possibly because PPE wasn’t sufficient to protect them or someone else they worked with, or a patient, infected them.

My heart goes out to the relatives of 80-year-old Rodger Laing who had Alzheimer’s, was tested negative and moved to a care home in Lasswade, where he died three weeks later from Covid-19.

I doubt any of the well over 2400 who have died in Scotland from this mysterious, uncontrollable pandemic, will result in a blaming investigation of those who cared for them.

But I’m sure that all hospital and care home staff who have gone through such deaths of their patients or residents will never forget them and will also feel devastated.

We all admire and respect those who go to work every day looking after the elderly, knowing that they themselves could be infected whether they are in their twenties, forties or fifties.

But I’m sure one day there will be a huge, national remembrance event for all who suffered, were left with physical damage, those who died, their grieving families, and those from senior medics to care assistants who didn’t give up their jobs to reduce their own risks.

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