One in five doctors in the UK are off work because of coronavirus, a shocking new survey has revealed.
The poll of more than 2,500 doctors found that 18 per cent are off work, despite Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying on Thursday that there is a 5.7 per cent absence rate among doctors.
The figures come just a day after Britain’s death toll from the virus jumped to 708 in 24 hours, with a five-year-old child being among the 4,313 known to have died, out of 41,903 confirmed cases.
The poll, conducted by The Sunday Times and the Royal College of Physicians, found that the worst-hit areas for absences are central London and the northeast, where 30 per cent of doctors are off work.
One in three – 34 per cent – have been absent at some point during the coronavirus crisis.
The shocking figures will pile pressure on ministers to ensure that NHS staff are told whether or not they have the virus, with thousands still waiting to be tested despite a pledge to test 100,000 people a day by the end of April.
One in five doctors in the UK are off work because of coronavirus, a shocking new survey has revealed
Professor Alison pittard, dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, which represents 3,500 critical care medics, told The Sunday Times: ‘I know there are departments where up to 50 per cent of their medical staff are unable to work because of this.’
An A&E doctor at a London hospital said staff were ‘dropping like flies’, while as many as 27 nurses from Southend Hospital’s A&E department in Essex are said to have become ill.
The survey also found that nearly one in four doctors have struggled to get hold of sufficient or appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
This is despite claims from ministers that they have distributed millions of items.
At least eight NHS staff have already been killed by the virus, including three nurses, two of whom were mothers in their thirties.
The latest nurse to die, John Alagos, 23, collapsed and died at home after an exhausting 12-hour shift.
The poll of more than 2,500 doctors found that 18 per cent are off work and it comes just a day after Britain’s death toll jumped to 708 in 24 hours. Pictured: An NHS worker puts their completed test into a container at a testing site near The 02 in Greenwich on Saturday
His mother, Gina Gustilo, 50, told The Mail on Sunday her son had not been wearing the right protective clothing at work.
He returned home on Friday following a night shift, after complaining of suffering a headache and high temperature throughout the night.
Ms Gustilo said her son’s colleagues told her he was not wearing ‘proper’ protective clothing, adding: ‘They wear PPE, but not totally protective of the mouth. They wear the normal masks.’
Richard Webber, of the College of Paramedics, said between 20 and 30 per cent of ambulance staff were off work either with Covid-19 symptoms or self-isolating.
The latest nurse to die, John Alagos, 23, collapsed and died at home after an exhausting 12-hour shift. He is believed to have died after falling ill with coronavirus
Yesterday, Michael Gove said at a Downing Street press conference that just under 11,000 people were tested for the virus on Friday.
This is far short of the 100,000 figure which Health Secretary Matt Hancock had promised by the end of the month.
Britain’s biotech scientists also broke their silence on Saturday to warn that they do not have enough equipment to fulfil Mr Hancock’s pledge.
The survey also found that nearly one in four doctors have struggled to get hold of sufficient or appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
The ‘frustrated’ Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), which represents around 17,000 NHS lab scientists and staff, warned that Mr Hancock’s plan would not work if things stay as they are.
The body said there is a lack of chemical reagents, test tubes and swabs, forcing its president Allan Wilson to warn that the Government’s strategy is a ‘bit of a muddle’.
It has forced Boris Johnson to compete with prime ministers and presidents around the world by personally calling major companies making test kits to try to secure more supply for the UK.
The IBMS said it could only increase testing capacity ‘if we are given what we need’ and that their current supply of materials was being ‘tested to the limit’.