Union claims over a third of ambulance staff have had virus

MORE than one in three ambulance staff have had Covid-19 – mainly catching it while at work, according to new research.

The GMB union said a survey of 1,600 of its members in the service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, suggested that 37% have had the virus. Almost a third of those said their symptoms were “really bad” or required medical attention.

The GMB said poor personal protective equipment (PPE) was to blame, claiming that ambulance workers report having to attend patients with flimsy gowns.

Rachel Harrison, GMB national officer, said it was a “disgrace” that staff were still not being given proper protection. She said: “GMB has called for guidance to be reviewed since the start of the pandemic and, unless ministers sit up and take notice, our health service will be overwhelmed.”