Half of doctors who caught Covid are STILL suffering ill health, survey suggests

03 July 2023 , 23:01

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Many medics are suffering from Long Covid (Image: Getty Images)

Doctors are still ­suffering the debilitating effects of Long Covid, three years after the pandemic began.

Medics told how the condition has left them struggling to work and made everyday tasks difficult.

Half of those quizzed in a survey by the British Medical Association said they still have symptoms after catching Covid on the front line at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, when many had no access to PPE.

And one in five told how they had to stop work or cut back on their hours. One consultant said: “Life is miserable. Every day is a struggle. I wake up exhausted.”

Another added: “I am almost housebound. I bought a mobility scooter for the few times I am well enough to get out.”

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Many medics caught Covid while working on the front line during the pandemic (PA)

Nearly half of those quizzed said they have lost ­earnings as a result of their ­symptoms, which include fatigue, headaches, muscular pain, nerve damage and respiratory problems.

The BMA’s Professor David Strain said: “This report lays bare the debilitating effect that the virus continues to have on doctors living with long-term ­symptoms.”

The Department for Health and Social Care said it is providing £50million of support to “better ­understand the l­­ong-term effects of this virus and make ­treatments available”.

The report was presented at the BMA annual general meeting in Liverpool.

Martin Bagot