Entertainment
Dr Alex George reflects on year of working in A&E during coronavirus pandemic: ‘Hardest year of my life’
Dr Alex George has said the past year has been the ‘hardest year of my life’, as he reflected on working in A&E over the last 12-months during the coronavirus pandemic.
As the country marked a year since its first lockdown, the Love Island star, 30, shared a throwback post of himself and his NHS team wearing masks and PPE when the pandemic first hit.
Alex explained that he and the team had no idea what they were up against at the time, as he honoured all those that have lost their lives as a result of Covid-19 in a moving post.
Reassuring fans that there are ‘better days’ to come, Alex said it has been a ‘privilege’ working for the NHS, despite it being the most difficult year he has faced.
He wrote: ‘A year ago today we went into the first lockdown. I could never have imagined the year that followed. The speed we went from a few isolated cases, to entire departments of covid patients, was terrifying.
‘As we approach 130,000 deaths in the UK, I would like to take a moment to honour those who lost their lives. I know that I will never forget the people that I cared for, it will stay with me my entire life. I send my love to all those who have lost loves ones during the last year 💙.’
Alex continued: ‘I would also like to take a moment to reflect on how incredible the NHS has been throughout, we pulled together and looked after each other as well as giving 150% for our patients.
‘We had to adapt and learn quickly, this photo was taken when we still knew virtually nothing about Covid. It has been a privilege and an honour to work alongside you all. As we look forward, to the future, I hope and believe that there are better days ahead.’
The reality star added: ‘Personally, it has been the hardest year of my life, thank you to each and everyone of you that got me through. There is always hope of a better day.’
Over the course of the last year, Alex has been praised for his efforts at keeping fans online informed and up to date amid the pandemic, as he used his social media platforms to alleviate concerns followers had, when it came to things like wearing a mask or doubts they had about having the vaccine.
His posts also offered a direct insight into what it has been like for NHS staff and all key workers working on the frontline.
Alex – who has also been working hard to improve mental health within schools – spoke about the importance of using his platform in a positive way in an interview with Metro.co.uk.
‘It’s not easy all the time, it’s a huge responsibility, even having a platform of not far off 2 million people on Instagram. That is a weight that isn’t easy and it doesn’t come without its strains,’ he admitted.
‘But I’m very grateful for it. I’ve got a community of 2 million and we are very tight knit. There is a focus and we are all passionate about similar things.’
His comments came at a time when reality stars and influencers faced criticism for jetting overseas despite Covid-19 travel restrictions and described their trips abroad as work-related.
Sharing his thoughts that the criticism reality stars face isn’t always justified, Alex explained: ‘I think there’s this tarnished thing of what an islander would be and is and all this stuff, and I think sometimes that’s unfair.
‘There’s a lot of people trying to do their best. Look at Camilla [Thurlow], and the way she has behaved afterwards. There are a lot of people out there who are trying to be positive influences after the show.’
He continued: ‘To assume that everyone only cares about making a quick buck I think is quite unfair. I do think if you do go on Love Island you’ve got to bear those kinds of things in mind, and the challenges that come with that.
‘I think we probably should be a little bit fair and treat people as individuals rather than broad strokes. You’ve got to treat people as individual people.’
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