As part of a drive encouraging people to get vaccinated, young people have shared their experiences of suffering long Covid.

A new video features several patients who experienced serious symptoms of coronavirus or developed Long Covid, as well as the doctors and frontline staff who treated them, to warn of the dangers of the virus for those who are not vaccinated.

Megan Higgins, a 25-year-old special needs tutor from London who is suffering from long Covid, pleaded with others to get vaccinated. She said: “I was always careful about catching Covid-19, but I’m healthy and active so thought if I catch it, I’d probably brush it off. It’s now been eight months since I tested positive, and I can’t even walk around the shops without getting exhausted. Long Covid is debilitating so please, get vaccinated. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what I have.”

The video comes as people aged 16 to 17 in England are offered a vaccine, meeting the government’s target of offering it to this age group by 23 August. More than 360,000 have already been vaccinated and letters and texts were sent last week to the remaining people inviting them to book an appointment with their GP or visit their nearest walk-in centre.

All at-risk people aged 12 to 15 in England have also been invited for a vaccination and young people are encouraged to take up the offer as soon as possible to build vital protection before returning to school in September.

Dr Emeka Okorocha, emergency medicine physician, who narrates the video, said: “As an A&E doctor, I’ve seen a lot during the pandemic. But nothing has shaken me like the sight of young, otherwise healthy adults, being rushed into our hospitals with Covid-19. As well as their age, many of them have one other thing in common, they are unvaccinated. Vaccines truly are the way out of this pandemic and are the best way to protect everyone from the virus, so please get your vaccine.”