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The Queen has spoken about her bout of Covid, which she tested positive for in February.
The monarch said she was left “very tired and exhausted” during a virtual visit to the Royal London Hospital on Wednesday to mark the official opening of the medical institution’s Queen Elizabeth Unit.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen had “mild cold-like symptoms” when she tested positive for the virus and continued to carry out light duties.
During the visit to the Royal London, she spoke to a former virus patient who lost his brother and father to the illness.
Queen Elizabeth II speaking to Dr Marie Healey, Divisional Director for Surgery and Critical Care; Mr Asef and Mrs Shamina Hussain; and Jackie Sullivan during a video link call (PA)
Speaking to Asef Hussain, and his wife Shamina, the Queen said about the virus: “It does leave one very tired and exhausted, doesn’t it? This horrible pandemic. It’s not a nice result.”
Mr Hussain was the third member of his family to be admitted to hospital with Covid after they became ill towards the end of December 2020.
His brother died first and then his father, who passed away while Mr Hussain was on a ventilator.
The Queen was told his wife called the ambulance after he had struggled to catch his breath, and Mr Hussain added: “I remember waking up one morning and just finding it really, really difficult to breathe.
“I remember waking my wife saying that I feel like there’s no oxygen in the room. I remember me sticking my head out the window, just trying to breathe, trying to get that extra oxygen.”
