As reported by BBC News, healthcare workers affected by long Covid are taking legal action against the NHS and other employers, alleging inadequate protection and seeking compensation for life-changing disabilities, prompting calls for improved safety measures and accountability
The staff, from England and Wales, believe they first caught Covid at work during the pandemic and say they were not properly protected from the virus.
Many of them say they are left with life-changing disabilities and are likely to lose income as a result.
The Department of Health said “there are lessons to be learnt” from Covid.
The group believe they were not provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) at work, which includes eye protection, gloves, gowns and aprons.
In particular, they say they should have had access to high-grade masks, which help block droplets in the air from patient’s coughs and sneezes which can contain the Covid virus.
But the masks they were given tended to be in line with national guidance.
On Wednesday, a judge said the group should have their cases heard along with a separate group of health workers affected by long Covid, who are also seeking compensation.
The next hearing has been scheduled for October.
She reported that she loved her work, but now feels like she has lost her career.
“It’s devastating. I live an existence rather than a life. It prevents me doing so much of what I want to do. And it’s been four years.”
Her list of long Covid symptoms includes everything from brain fog and extreme fatigue to nerve damage, and deafness in one ear.
Long Covid, a chronic condition following a Covid infection, affects an estimated 1.9 million people in the UK and can lead to heart palpitations, joint pain and concentration problems.
Many people, including those in this group, say their symptoms have left them disabled.
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