LONDON: An Egpytian doctor working in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) who became critically ill after contracting COVID-19 said he feared deportation even as he lay in a hospital bed on a ventilator. Dr. Basem Enany treated many coronavirus patients during the pandemic but, when he caught the virus and was struck down with a rare complication, he was worried about his residency status. He, his wife and their four daughters have permission to live in the UK through his work. But his visa expires next month and he fears that, due to his condition, he will be physically unable to renew it. “At first I had the usual symptoms of Covid – cough, fever, loss of taste and smell – but then I began to develop a weakness throughout my body,” he told The Guardian. “Then I was no longer able to move and couldn’t breathe properly. I had never seen this happen in any of the Covid patients I had treated and had to research my symptoms as they were so unusual. I was not sedated on the ventilator and was lying awake in my hospital bed thinking: ‘Oh my God, my visa is about to finish.’” A Home Office spokesperson said: “We’ve spoken to Dr. Enany’s family to reassure them that their immigration status is not in jeopardy and they are not facing enforcement action. They are here entirely legally and have every right to remain in the UK. We will continue to work with them to find a way forward. Our thoughts remain with Dr. Enany and his family at this difficult time.” But, despite this reassurance, Enany said he remained fearful. He said he did not know what kind of replacement visa he would receive, how long it would be for and whether it would allow him to work. He also thanked the fellow NHS workers who have been caring for him and the thousands of people who have made donations to pay for his legal and medical bills.