THE brother of a Great Western Hospital doctor who died after catching Covid has spoken of the family's shock and grief.

Dr Amir Halim's 45-year-old sibling Irfan spent months working on Swindon's wards helping others to fight the disease then collapsed during a September shift.

Amir and Irfan's father had fallen ill with the virus a week earlier. Dr Halim told BBC Wiltshire their father's health was on his brother's mind all the time, even while he himself was battling the disease.

He said: " Irfan was still well when Dad was admitted to hospital and he collapsed at work about a week or so after.

“Dad never knew Irfan had become ill but even in hospital, even when he was in the ICU, his primary focus was always Dad.

"He would call him several times a day, we would video-call him or text, and any moment we spoke, most of it was his concern for Dad and his progress."

After a week in intensive care, Irfan was ventilated and then transferred to the Royal Brompton Hospital. Their father died two days after Irfan was put on a ventilator but the GWH medic never found this out.

Dr Amir added: "Irfan did not know - he had to be ventilated. That decision was made consciously with him and the ICU team.

“He was a fit and well young man, only in his mid-40s. I think that’s partly why we are so shocked and devastated, moreso if anything with Irfan’s loss than even Dad’s.

“I think this virus is just a horrible thing and we don’t know who it’s going to affect and how badly it’s going to affect them.

“Until the day we were informed of the impending news that was coming to us, we had always hoped he would pull through.”

Irfan's wife of 15 years Saila believes her husband caught Covid while working on the wards.

The dad-of-four wore PPE at all times and was fully-vaccinated, commuted two hours from his Barking home to the hospital, and spent four months away from his family at the height of the pandemic.

He died in Saila's arms while surrounded by his brother, sister and friends on November 14 at 7.51pm, nine weeks after catching coronavirus.

The chief executive of GWH said the trust was "devastated" and described Dr Halim as "selflessly dedicated". Last year, Dr Edmond Adedeji and Dr Thaung Htaik died after catching coronavirus.

Click here to donate to a fundraiser set up to support Dr Halim's wife and four children.