The Daily Mirror has commemorated the faces of fallen frontline NHS and care workers in a tribute ahead of the 72nd anniversary of the NHS on Sunday.
The paper’s front page today (July 2) remembers the faces of 182 frontline workers – from doctors, nurses, care home workers, mental health workers and cleaners – who have lost their lives to coronavirus.
Throughout the crisis, the Daily Mirror has marked each of the individual tragedies in a roll call of those who have died.
An estimated 400 frontline workers have died across the UK since the start of the crisis, in addition to bus drivers, supermarket workers and teachers.
Today, the paper carries a feature ‘They Died Caring’ to make a tribute to the workers who paid the ultimate tragic price of the Covid fight. These include Dunstable University Hospital nurse Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, who died after giving birth while infected with coronavirus, and Cancer specialist Dr Tariq Shafi who continued offering phone clinics despite struggling to breathe before he died.
To mark 72 years of the NHS on Sunday, the country will come to a halt at 5pm to participate in a final round of applause to remember workers’ sacrifices and thank the NHS.
Television networks will take a break from programming for the moment and public buildings across the UK including the Royal Albert Hall and the Blackpool Tower will turn blue.
Announcing the anniversary at Prime Minister’s Questions Boris Johnson said, “It will provide the perfect moment to thank not just our amazing NHS and care workers but also those key workers who have helped in the national effort in our fight against coronavirus.”
