‘Lonely’ Llandudno residents on their COVID-19 pandemic experiences

The UK COVID-19 Inquiry team came to the Trinity Community Centre as part of a series of nationwide Every Story Matters community events, in which members of the public are invited to share first-hand how the pandemic affected them.

Attendees could have one-to-one conversations in private booths with team members, or share their experiences in writing.

The Trinity Centre hosted the inquiry team today (Image: Newsquest)

One woman who attended, from Craig-y-Don, told the Pioneer she will be “eternally grateful” for the half-an-hour she was allowed to spend with her husband at Ysbyty Gwynedd in late 2020.

The woman, who asked to be anonymous, said her husband had developed “very rapid cancer”, and due to lockdown restrictions at the time, she was unable to visit him on the ward he was in, leaving her feeling “lonely”.

“I felt desperate about that. I was thinking I’d never see him again,” she said.

“I asked if I could just visit him as a one-off, and was told that, while I wasn’t allowed on the ward, staff would take my husband to the empty outpatients’ area, and I spend half an hour with him.

“I am eternally grateful for that.”

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In the time apart from her husband while he was in hospital, the woman said that the hours she spent on FaceTime with her sons proved a “wonderful” source of comfort.

Her husband was later discharged, but sadly died in early 2021, several days after returning home, despite the best efforts of a team of carers who offered him support at his house.

His funeral was held in Colwyn Bay, with the woman saying that those who travelled from England to attend it had to carry a “special pass” to enter Wales.

She added: “He didn’t last very long, but I was just so grateful to have him home, and that he was with me when he died.

“I felt he was so well-cared for, but also felt that they looked after me, as well.”

People could share their experiences in private booths with counsellors (Image: Newsquest)

Another Llandudno woman who visited the centre today said she believes she has had COVID-19 twice, and regrets having her three Pfizer vaccinations.

The woman, who also asked to be anonymous, said she feels her lack of energy leaves her quickly feeling “shattered” and “fed up”, and thinks it is more likely attributable to the vaccine than COVID-19 itself.

“The first time I had it, I was hallucinating – it was horrible,” she said.

“My husband and I both got it again in about September 2022, with exactly the same, but much milder, symptoms as the first time.

“But I had my third Pfizer – which we thought was the best vaccine – in November 2021, and that was when I really went downhill. I couldn’t go out walking or dancing, or do anything strenuous.

“It took my husband and I took about six weeks to recover from our first bouts of COVID, but we were absolutely fine afterwards. We’d walk 10 miles a day.

“Now, I’m lucky to do 100 yards without feeling out of puff. It’s not so much breathlessness, it’s more a feeling that I’m going to pass out.”

While the woman said she does not know for certain that her vaccinations have caused her physical decline, she felt “it would be a big coincidence if it isn’t”.

She added that she now also struggles to complete tasks such as cleaning or preparing food.

The woman added: “We used to go out dancing two or three nights a week; now, I go and just watch everyone else dance.

“Depression is a strong word, but I do get fed up. If anything like this happens again, God forbid, I hope the government will have learnt to handle it differently.”

Every Story Matters will support the inquiry’s investigations by providing evidence about the human impact of the pandemic on the UK population.

This will help the inquiry’s chair, Baroness Hallett, make recommendations for the future.

Inquiry secretary, Ben Connah, said: “The inquiry must hear experiences from all corners of the country to ensure we get a full picture of the pandemic’s impact on people living and working across the UK.

“No matter what your experience or what you have to say, we really want to hear it.”