“He was my brother, and I miss him every day.”

FIVE years after the pandemic, Martin McManus, the brother of Tyrone man Pat McManus – the first NHS worker from the North to die from Covid-19 – has spoken of his enduring heartache.

Pat, originally from Strabane, had been working at North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary and later at County Hospital in Stafford, England, when he passed away in April 2020.

Martin remembers his brother fondly, saying, “Pat was just an ordinary bloke who had dedicated his life to helping others, and he wasn’t going to let the pandemic stop him from doing his job.

“I live in Wales, and the pair of us was in constant contact as the pandemic took hold. I remember asking him one day, ‘What are you doing still working in the hospital?’ and his reply was, ‘Someone has to do it.’

“Pat was just that selfless.”

The family’s concern for Pat was heightened by his Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which placed him in the vulnerable category. Despite this, he continued working.

“We were all terribly-worried about Pat and the fact he kept working and was allowed to do so by the hospital,” Martin said.

“Lena (Pat’s girlfriend) was the one who dealt with most of it, as the rest of us were scattered across the country. I live in Wales, and his boys were in London. It was a hugely-tough time for us all.

“I remember when Pat contracted Covid. He called me one day and said, ‘Marty, I’m sick. This might be the last time I talk to you.’ That was it – one week he got it, and the next week he was gone.”

Pat’s passing was a devastating loss for Martin, his sister Marie, his sons Kevin, Adrian, and Stephen, and his partner Lena. His death was met with an outpouring of sympathy, including a ceremonial bell-ringing in all the churches of Strabane. He was also posthumously awarded the Freedom of Derry City and Strabane District by then-Mayor Graham Warke at a ceremony attended by his family.

Reflecting on life without his brother, Martin said, “You just have to get on with it, don’t you?

“I never thought Pat would be dead at 60, and I miss him every day, as do the rest of the family.

“In a way, it’s harder to take than a regular death, as Pat died during the pandemic, and due to restrictions, I couldn’t be with him.

“He was my brother, and I miss him every day.”