‘I’m probably going to catch Coronavirus’: Dr Alex reveals the realities of working on the NHS frontline

Former Love Island star Dr Alex George believes he will probably get COVID-19 while working on the frontline.

Speaking on the first episode of Up Close And Socially Distant, he said that it’s realistic to expect he will probably catch coronavirus.

READ MORE: Shocking simulation shows how one cough can spread coronavirus through supermarkets

He told Kate Thornton, the host of the new web series: “I mean, I’m spending days and days and hours and hours on end with people with really high levels of the virus. The chances of me catching it are very high.”

Alex, who is currently working at Lewisham Hospital, said conditions were not helped by the fact that his department was severely understaffed. He revealed many of his colleagues were self-isolating as they were already displaying symptoms.

“We have a limited number of nurses and doctors,” he said. “We know that we’ve been understaffed in the NHS for many years and that’s being exposed now, of course.”

The solution, Alex believes, is to up testing for all staff members working on the frontline.

READ MORE: 'We stand together': how students are helping NHS during coronavirus crisis

“We’ve got to have people on the frontline tested – that’s just absolute basics,” he told Kate. “Then we need to roll it out into the communities.”

He continued: “That how we know who’s had it, who hasn’t had it and who remains to be very vulnerable to it because they haven’t had it, and also know, are we developing immunity? We need to have some data about whether our population in the UK is developing herd immunity.”

Despite all the challenges Alex and his co-workers are facing, he still believes the NHS is amazing, and hopes that this critical situation will ensure it is protected in the future.

“We have, I think, the best healthcare system in the world, we’re incredibly fortunate to have what we have,” exclaimed Alex. “We have to nurture, nourish and protect it.”

READ MORE: Love Island's Dr Alex George asks followers if they know somewhere he can live

He continued: “We can’t allow our government, or, you know, governments, to strip it back. We can’t allow it to be underfunded. We can’t allow our staff to be not looked after and respected properly and I think this will change.”

Up Close And Socially Distant is hosted by Kate Thornton and features video catch-ups with people who are all doing whatever they can, in whatever unique and special way they can, to help those around them get through lockdown.

This week’s episode features A&E doctor and former Love Island contestant, Dr Alex George, founder of the Brixton Soup Kitchen, Solomon Smith, and celebrity Chef and restauranteur, James Martin.