17 February 2023
On 3 February 2023, a senior coroner in Wales found that the deaths of two nurses aged 63 and 65 due to COVID-19 should be a considered as industrial disease. The coroner found that both nurses had likely caught the virus at their respective hospitals. Although they were given appropriate personal protective equipment, they were still exposed to the virus while working and became infected, causing their deaths.
The nurses’ families argued for the conclusion of industrial disease while the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board argued for natural causes. Unions are advocating for COVID-19 to be considered an industrial disease by the UK government so that affected workers can receive greater financial support.
