Doctor sheds light on why Covid made Derek Draper so seriously ill

20 December 2023 , 16:58

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Doctor sheds light on why Covid made Derek Draper so seriously ill

Derek Draper is in a 'very serious condition' in hospital, having battled with severe health complications since contracting Covid in March 2020.

The 56-year-old former political advisor, who is married to broadcaster Kate Garraway, suffered organ damage as a result of the disease and has reportedly now suffered a major heart attack. As previously reported by the Mirror, dedicated wife Kate, 56, is now preparing to spend Christmas by Derek's hospital bedside, with the sudden heart attack reportedly coming as a 'shock' to the family.

A source said: "Derek suffered a massive heart attack which has left him fighting for his life all over again. It was sudden and a shock as he had been doing well and was in great spirits, looking forward to Christmas at home with the family. We just hope there will be some more positive news soon as he has been in such a long and tough battle with his health. Kate's only focus right now is Derek and her family."

Now a medical professional has shed some light on why contracting Covid can have such extreme effects in some cases, and it's understood that Derek's case certainly 'isn't isolated'.

Kate will be spending Christmas by Derek's hospital bedside (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The couple has previously opened up candidly about how Derek's condition has affected their lives (Getty Images)

Derek is one of the UK's longest-suffering Covid patients, having spent hospital for 13 months after catching it, before returning home in April 2021. This was far from the end of his ongoing battle, however. Derek and Kate, who share children Darcey, 15, and Billy, 11, have previously opened up about their ordeal in the critically acclaimed ITV documentary Finding Derek, which documented how drastically their lives had changed.

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Speaking out at the time, Kate said: "He can't really move. We do need a lot of help. And it's not just help with looking after him, because it is 24-hour care, and I haven't really slept as you can probably tell. I will ease off, I'm just very aware at the moment and it's a whole new team. So he's probably got a little bit used to the people in hospital and so it's a new team now that are working with him and helping him to come through. It's going to take a lot of adjustment."

Although Derek's condition is unusually serious, he and Kate certainly aren't the only ones dealing with this plight. According to Dr Gareth Nye, a lecturer of physiology at Chester Medical School, a collection of studies covering 47,910 patients between the ages of 17 and 87 estimated that 80 per cent of those infected with coronavirus ended up developing one or more long-term symptoms, with the most common being fatigue (58 per cent), headaches (44 per cent) and disorders impacting attention span (27 per cent).z

Derek is one of the UK's longest-suffering Covid patients

For some, the symptoms will be especially grave. Dr Nye told the Mirror: "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)."

Discussing Derek's case, Dr Nye continued: "Derek was a severe case and his journey has been such an important one to follow. Derek will undoubtedly have multiple long-term health conditions following his specific reaction to the Covid infection, as well as the procedures used to try and save him eg ventilation.

"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. His 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."

Julia Banim