![]() ![]() Having worked on Ebola and cholera in Africa and Asia, with her background in infectious diseases, she was alarmed by the lack of PPE - and raised it with senior managers. Image: Dr Nathalie MacDermott now uses a mobility scooter. When she returned in early April, she says she was moved to a different ward, which was largely caring for children with multi-system inflammatory syndrome - a potentially fatal response to COVID seen in children that causes inflammation of various organs. She caught COVID at the end of March and was off work with classic symptoms for 10 days. The 41-year-old was moved to Great Ormond Street Hospital and worked as a paediatric registrar. GP members have reported losing their practices and years on from their original infection one still described going to the toilet as feeling "like climbing Mount Everest".Įbola expert warned London hospital about masksĭr MacDermott is another LCD4A member who moved from her job as a clinical lecturer in paediatric infectious diseases at King's College London to work on the COVID frontline in March 2020. The 33-year-old described how brain fog and mobility problems cause her to burn herself on hot cups of tea, having failed to "work out how to hold them safely". One junior doctor said her long COVID complications mean she feels unable to ever have children - or become a consultant. "There is no hope at present and at times I wish I died during COVID." One consultant, who asked to remain anonymous, but whose income protection and life insurance were denied, said: "I was once at the peak of my career and have had to give up all my dreams and become a shell of my former self. Several of those still employed by the NHS claim they have reached maximum sick pay or are struggling to claim benefits. ![]() Hundreds have signed up, many say they have lost their jobs, and had relationships end. Those in Scotland can do so via a different legal firm, Jackson Boyd. LCD4A is calling for other doctors and healthcare workers who worked in England and Wales and suffered similar circumstances to join its group legal action. Pic: Kelly FearnleyĬall for other doctors to join legal action Image: Dr Fearnley struggled with pins and needles in her arms and legs. "At 37 I'm living and relying on my 70-year-old father for support. I feel like I have sustained a traumatic brain injury. "But I still deal with symptoms daily, my brain still feels infected and there's an ongoing pathological process in my body I believe needs treatment before I can recover. ![]() I can exert myself cognitively and physically a little bit more. Now I can get dressed and move around the house. "I started to turn more of a corner after two-and-a-half years. Her long COVID symptoms over the next two years left her largely bedbound and, at times, suicidal. "It was like a switch flipped in my body," she said. She tried to return to work after three weeks but only lasted two hours before dizziness and breathlessness forced her to go back home. For four weeks she had flu-like symptoms and suffered breathlessness, as well as a swelling around her eye and a red rash across her body. This is in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance, which says there is only strong evidence for more restrictive masks such as FFP3s, FFP2s, and N95s, being worn for "aerosol-generating procedures" - not general care of COVID patients.ĭr Fearnley films her breathing and heart rate difficultiesĭr Fearnley says she tested positive for COVID after one week on the ward. The group, which is being represented by the legal firm Bond Turner, claims the NHS decided to downgrade guidance as the virus took hold in March 2020, only requiring staff to wear blue surgical face masks, plastic aprons, and gloves when dealing with suspected or confirmed COVID cases. Meanwhile, Dr Nathalie MacDermott - an infectious diseases registrar who treated people with the Ebola virus - says COVID has left her with spinal damage after her concerns about a lack of PPE during the pandemic were ignored.Ī British Medical Association study of 600 doctors with long COVID last year revealed that 60% had suffered persistent ill health since contracting COVID, and around half (48%) had lost earnings.ĭr Fearnley co-founded Long COVID Doctors for Action (LCD4A), which is today pledging legal action against the NHS for negligent workplace exposure to coronavirus, resulting in injury and financial loss. Image: Swelling on Dr Fearnley's eyelid after contracting COVID.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |