Mother who lost her son to Covid said politicians controlling lockdown restrictions 'cost lives'

A mother of a young man who died during the coronavirus pandemic has told UTV of the devastating moment her son died.

Briege McEvoy spoke to UTV's current affairs programme Up Close which examined the recent visit of the UK Covid Inquiry to Belfast.

She hit out at some of the decisions made during the pandemic, saying she believed they "cost lives".

Briege said her son was prescribed steroids after contracting Covid, but his condition never improved. Without being admitted to hospital, Conor died at home with his mum.

"Conor was sitting at the end of the bed drinking a glass of water, and the next thing his breathing went really really fast," she said.

"So I dialed 999 and I heard Conor shout, 'are you there mum?' and I ran upstairs into his room... and he looked at me and said, 'mum'.

"And that was it, he dropped to the floor. He was gone."

The award-winning current affairs programme Up Close examines the evidence given at the recent Covid inquiry. Taking a deep dive into the three-week long Covid Inquiry, analysing the shocking revelations uncovered and hearing from the families who lost loved ones to Covid.

After losing her husband to Covid in 2021, Julie McMurray said she was determined he would not become a statistic.

Julie's husband Robert had been diagnosed with early onset dementia. He tested positive with Covid after an operation in hospital during his recovery. Julie would visit him every day, until lockdown restrictions were imposed.

Confused and distressed without seeing his family, Roberts health deteriorated.

Julie said he got confused and would ask her, "Why have you left me?"

"I made a promise to look after him," she told UTV, "I told him we would get through it.

When Julie finally got to see Robert his condition has deteriorated.

"He could barely squeeze my hand.... it was too late."

The son of a fit and healthy 90 year-old woman spoke to UTV about receiving phone calls from doctors where they would assess his mum's chances of receiving life-changing treatment based on her age and ability.

Asking why they were questioning him on his mum's health doctors said they had to make decisions as oxygen supplies were running low.

She died in hospital during the second wave of Covid.

"And I thought, how are we still running out of stuff in the second wave? A year later?," Robert told UTV.

"A lot of people talk about people dying in the nursing homes, which is quite right. But a lot of people died in hospital and my mother was one of them and this should never have went this far. "The inquiry showed up a lot of failings in our government."

The programme also discussed the Covid Inquiry sessions with Brenda Doherty who represents bereaved families, former civil servant Ann Watt, Belfast Telegraph journalist and commentator Sam McBride as well as from Deborah McAleese and UTV’s Political Editor Tracey Magee.  

‘Up Close – The Covid Inquiry’ is available to watch again on ITVX.

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