The Queen Said that Coronavirus Leaves One Very Tired and Exhausted – Vanity Fair

When Queen Elizabeth came down with COVID-19 in late February, the palace only said that she was experiencing mild cold-like symptoms, and further details were unavailable. Within two weeks, she was back to doing her usual work, including an in-person meeting with Justin Trudeau, but the effects apparently lingered. In a conversation with National Health Service workers organized by the Royal London Hospital last week, she went into more detail about her course of the virus.

After hearing former patient Asef Hussain discuss the lingering effects of his battle with COVID, the queen responded with a question that hinted at her own experience. It does leave one very tired and exhausted doesn't it, this horrible pandemic? she said. Its not a nice result.

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When speaking to a patient who had a severe case of COVID, she asked about what it was like to battle the illness while isolated from family. It obviously was a very frightening experience to have COVID very badly, she said in response to the patients story.

She spoke to the NHS employees to commemorate the opening of the new Queen Elizabeth Unit, a 155-bed wing of the hospital devoted to accommodating patients with breathing issues. According to the Guardian, the units construction was accelerated due to rising case counts in London, and it was completed in only five weeks, when a similar project would usually take about five months.

One construction worker on the project said it was an example of Dunkirk spirit, in reference to the World War II battle where commercial ships from across the U.K. helped evacuate British soldiers who were trapped on beaches under Nazi siege. Thank goodness it still exists, she said in response. It is very interesting, isnt it, when there is some very vital thing, how everybody works together and pulls together marvelous, isnt it?

Though the queen has seemingly recovered from her bout with COVID, she is still dealing with ongoing health issues that began when she was briefly hospitalized in October. Last month she canceled a planned appearance at the annual Commonwealth Day church service amid mobility problems and only announced her decision to attend a memorial service for Prince Philip on the morning of. This week, she is sitting out the annual Maundy Thursday celebration where she hands out a traditional sack of coins to a group of elderly people. On Friday, the palace announced that she would be replaced by Prince Charles.

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The Queen Said that Coronavirus Leaves One Very Tired and Exhausted - Vanity Fair