Almost a year ago, as we emerged from a period of extended lockdown, I was informed one night by my father’s aged care facility that he had become breathless and had been sent by ambulance to the local hospital.

My family hadn’t seen my father for the previous five weeks as all residential care facilities were in tight lockdown.

I went to the hospital to comfort my dad, only to be told that his symptom of dyspnoea had led to an automatic admission to the COVID-19 ‘red zone’ of the ED, and that visitors were absolutely forbidden.

The young doctor who was sent to speak to me informed me that the provisional diagnosis was of a major cardiac event, and that due to Dad’s age a decision had been made not to transfer him to a larger centre for further diagnostic and management interventions.