Covid: Nurse Estrella Catalan's funeral procession stops at hospital

Estrella Catalan had worked at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for 18 years

A funeral procession for a nurse who died with Covid-19 passed the hospital where she had worked and died, for a final goodbye from colleagues.

Estrella Catalan had been receiving treatment at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) when she died on 5 February, aged 52.

A funeral mass was held at St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich on Friday, following an all-night prayer vigil.

Canon David Paul, Cathedral Dean, said: "She was always smiling, always kind."

Estrella Catalan was a "dedicated nurse"

He said her death had been a "terrible shock", particularly as Mrs Catalan, an emergency department nurse, had featured in a BBC report in January, during her treatment.

"She was on the television and saying how much she looked forward getting back to work, so we were waiting for nature to take its course, but sadly that wasn't to be," he said.

"We feel bereft."

Fr Paul said he had known Mrs Catalan very well, as she had been a cathedral steward, welcoming people and showing them to their seats.

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"She had a very nurturing personality with her family, with the people here, and especially in the hospital where she worked," he said.

"She was a really dedicated nurse, she loved working for the NHS, and that was her whole life outside her family and the church.

"Here, she befriended people and looked after them, and at hospital so many patients would recall how kind she was and had helped them through their illnesses.

"She genuinely loved people, and serving them and being part of people's lives."

The funeral procession stopped at the hospital where Mrs Catalan worked

The overnight prayer vigil was joined via live stream by Mrs Catalan's family, including her mother, in the Philippines.

After the mass, led by Bishop Alan Hopes, the funeral procession stopped at the hospital where she had worked for almost two decades.

Last month, Mrs Catalan's husband and two sons joined hundreds of her colleagues for a silence followed by applause at the hospital.

Prince William also paid tribute to Mrs Catalan and said his thoughts were with "all of you who knew her and her family".