The second weekly applause for NHS heroes manning the front line in the UK's coronavirus fight is a reminder that 'we've got a long way to go' until the pandemic is over, Dr Hilary Jones says.
For the second Thursday running, people stood on doorsteps and balconies for an 8pm 'Clap for our Carers' applause to publicly thank NHS staff for their dedication during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Dr Hilary told Good Morning Britain viewers the nationwide show of appreciation means a great deal to NHS staff. But it also serves as a reminder that the UK faces many more weeks, likely months, before the situation will improve.
Dr Hilary said: "To get this outpouring of support means so much for morale and for energy. The other thing is, it reminds us that we're not out of this yet.
"You know, if we'd only done the one episode, last week, and forgotten about this, then I think everyone would say, 'We're ok now, we're through it'.
"But we're not, we're not even in the peak yet.
"So it's actually a good reminder that we all need to pull together, salute the people who are working so hard for us in hospitals and those kind of settings and remember, that we've got a long way to go and this is going to take some time."
There are 33,718 confirmed covid-19 diagnoses in the UK, where just under 3,000 have died as of Thursday April 2.
The virus has infected more than one million people worldwide and led to the deaths of at least 53,000.
