THEY ARE LIKE SOLDIERS IN A WAR WITHOUT KIT..

THOUSANDS of doctors have now completely run out of essential items of PPE in the latest crisis to grip the front line.

- GERALDINE MCKELVIE,LUCY CLARKE-BILLINGS and RHIAN LUBIN

For weeks, the Sunday Mirror has told how medics battling to save lives have been faced with crippling shortages of drugs and equipment.

Now some say they have no supply at all of vital equipment such as gowns, gloves, fluid-repellent face masks and respirators.

Last night the husband of a nurse who died of coronavirus slammed the “shameful” shortages, comparing them to soldiers being sent into battle with no kit or ammunition.

We can also reveal, following the results of a British Medical Association survey, that:

• More than 4,000 doctors say they have felt pressured to treat patients without adequate PPE, including almost 1,500 performing the most high-risk procedures;

• Nearly 1,000 medics say they are running low on oxygen, three weeks after we warned of shortages;

• Thousands are still struggling to get drugs they need to treat patients a month after we raised the alarm.

The shocking revelations come as the Government quietly changed PPE guidelines this week, saying FFP2 respirators could now be used to replace fluid-repellent face masks.

Both types of face coverings are broadly deemed effective, with officials calling the change to the guidelines “a pragmatic approach”.