Doctors praise Chief medical advisor Chris Whitty for work at London hospital over Christmas weekend
Doctors praise Chief medical advisor Chris Whitty after he was spotted doing his rounds on the respiratory ward of a London hospital over the Christmas weekend
- Professor Chris Whitty treated covid patients over Christmas and bank holiday
- The chief medical advisor, 54, was working at UCL Hospitals Trust, North London
- He was spotted doing his rounds on the respiratory ward during festive period
Chief medical advisor Chris Whitty worked through the Christmas weekend and bank holiday Monday treating covid-19 patients at a busy London hospital, just as he said he would.
The Professor, 54, spent Christmas Day doing his rounds on the respiratory ward of a University College London Hospital, in North London, his colleague revealed.
Fellow doctors praised the hard work of the professor, who has continued to practice as a doctor despite being appointed as the chief medical officer for England in 2018.
Professor Chris Whitty (pictured) worked through the Christmas weekend and bank holiday Monday treating covid-19 patients at a busy London hospital
Neil Stone, a consultant at the University College London Hospitals Trust, tweeted: ‘A very happy Christmas to everyone and especially all the #NHS workers – in particular our fantastic ID team (including Dr Michael Marks and Professor Chris Whitty) who will be on the wards so the rest of us can have a bit of time off! Next year will be better!’
Professor Whitty was also said to have been spotted hard at work on the festive weekend by another source, The Independent reports.
The face of Professor Whitty has become familiar to many over the last year due to his presentations of Public Health data during Downing Street’s coronavirus press conferences.
Answering a question from a journalist at a Downing Street press briefing before Christmas Prof Whitty said: ‘In answer to your direct question about what I’ll be doing, actually I will be on the wards.’
Neil Stone, a consultant at the University College London Hospitals Trust, tweeted: ‘A very happy Christmas to everyone and especially all the #NHS workers’
Dr Marina Soltan, Chair of Health-Ed at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, thanked Professor Chris Whitty and a whole host of other health care professionals for their hard work
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty during a media briefing on coronavirus (COVID-19) in Downing Street, London. December 16
Professor Whitty added that he did not advise people to hug and kiss relatives as he reiterated the importance of taking precautions to keep the number of covid infections down.
And the doctor has continued to issue cautions as part of SAGE, as the Mail understands Professor Whitty this week warned the Prime Minister that the number of patients in hospital with coronavirus is on course to match the April peak by New Year’s Eve – and will continue increasing in January.
Since mid-December the number of Covid patients in London’s intensive care unit has doubled, figures revealed by HSJ showed.
