A doctor has shed light on why Derek Draper’s battle with Covid has been so severe following his recent heart attack.
Derek, 56, has been plagued with health woes after contracting Covid in 2020 and is now said to be fighting for his life after being taken dangerously ill last Monday.
His wife Kate Garraway is said to be holding a 24/7 vigil by his bedside and has cancelled all work commitments while his family ‘pray for a miracle’. It is expected she will spend Christmas at her husband’s bedside in hospital.
Derek is one of the UK’s longest-suffering Covid patients and spent 13 months in hospital before being taken home in April 2021.
Kate documented how the couple’s life together has changed as she now cares for him at home.
A doctor has shed light on why Derek Draper’s battle with Covid has been so severe following his recent heart attack
Derek, 56, has been plagued with health woes after contracting Covid in 2020 and is now said to be fighting for his life after being taken dangerously ill last Monday
Although Derek’s condition is unusually severe, Dr Gareth Nye, a lecturer of physiology at Chester Medical School, said many people with Covid end up with long term symptoms.
Speaking to The Mirror, he said: ‘After any Covid infection regardless of hospitalisation or treatment, your risk of having a cardiovascular event (eg heart attack or stroke) is significantly higher in the 12 months that follow.
‘Long-term lung issues are also seen due to the damage from the infection along with long-term changes to your immune system, leading to increased risk of autoimmune diseases (over 40 per cent more likely).’
He added: ‘We know that the Covid virus impacts the cardiovascular system and does increase your risks of clots which can lead to heart attacks and organ failure. [Derek’s] start certainly isn’t isolated but remains quite uncommon compared with the vast numbers of people who have been infected with the virus, even multiple times.’
Derek has been readmitted several times with numerous health issues, including kidney failure, brain inflammation and liver damage.
Following the heartbreaking turn of events it has been reported that Derek was ‘in great spirits’ and looking forward to Christmas with his family.
A source told The Sun: ‘It was sudden and a shock as he had been doing so well and was in great spirits, looking forward to Christmas at home with the family.
‘This setback has been a huge blow for his family and all the people caring for him.
Although Derek’s condition is unusually severe, Dr Gareth Nye, a lecturer of physiology at Chester Medical School, said many people with Covid end up with long term symptoms
His wife Kate Garraway is said to be holding a 24/7 vigil by his bedside and has cancelled all work commitments while his family ‘pray for a miracle’
‘Kate has been utterly incredible — by his side while being an amazing mum to Darcey and Billy, and trying to manage their expectations of a family Christmas.’
Kate recently revealed her family are ‘adjusting to a new normal’ as Derek battles to get better and shared a ‘promising’ update on Derek’s health, hoping it could lead to an improvement.
Speaking to OK! magazine, Kate shared: ‘Derek’s in hospital having some treatment. It’s not an emergency thing, it’s not a dramatic rush back into intensive care, thank goodness. It’s something that started last year that we hope will lead to improvement.
‘I’ve managed to get it in before the end of the year. It’s something we were trying to do in the summer, but there are referrals and time and all of those things.
‘Every day we wait and see. There isn’t a dramatic improvement but touch wood things haven’t gone backwards either. So we’re just adjusting to a new normal.’
While Kate tries to stay as positive as she can, she also feels like Derek is never ‘safe’.
Earlier this year, Kate revealed she was planning to take Derek to Mexico for a second bout of experimental treatment in a desperate bid to save him from the devastating effects of Covid.
Following a previously ‘gruelling’ trip to Mexico at the beginning of 2022, Kate shared her hopes at flying Derek back for an additional round of treatment.
Derek, 56, has been plagued with health woes after contracting Covid in 2020 and is now said to be fighting for his life after being taken dangerously ill last Monday
Kate told The Sun : ‘The effort required to get him there is extraordinary, and obviously we are relying on the grace of these specialists to help him.
‘I can’t thank all those involved in getting him to Mexico enough because without them he wouldn’t have the chance of this potentially life-changing treatment.’
She added: ‘The plan is to go back for another round of treatment and continue the trial in a way that is financially viable.’
Although Kate insisted that they’d had ‘wonderful treatment’ from the NHS, which were essential in keeping her husband alive, the foreign trips offer ‘potentially life saving treatment’.
As well as the trip, the Smooth Radio presenter has had to spend ‘tens of thousands of pounds’ adapting the family home in London for Derek, which included the installation of ramps, a downstairs wet room and a makeshift downstairs bedroom.