Dr Hilary Jones revealed on Good Morning Britain that new treatments for COVID-19 have drastically reduced mortality.
And they are not new drugs, rather ones already used to treat problems including asthma and allergies.
Host Ben Shephard asked Hilary: "In terms of positives coming out about coronavirus, we talk about hydrocortisone, and the impact potentially of steroid injections.
"I know Kate has talked about this through Derek's illness all the way through, and the addition of steroids and sterile injections at an early stages that can make to recovery.
"What they are saying is that one in every 12 patients could be saved by hydrocortisone, an anti-inflammatory drug, and we know it has a huge impact?"
Hilary replied: "Yes, this is really good news it's confirming what we already knew, that dexamethasone, which is another type of cortisone, a stronger one, could help people who are critically ill.
"These cortisones don't work in the early stages of mild symptoms of coronavirus, but they do help as soon as that person starts to requite oxygen.
"So in moderately severe cases and critically ill and intensive care patients, dexamethasone and hydrocortisone, which are cheap, readily available, and actually do improve the outcome.
"A study that was published in the American Medical Association Journal showed that if you treat 100 patients who are critically ill, 40% die on standard treatment and only 32% die on treatment with hydrocortisone or dexamethasone, which is eight saved in 100.
"So that is significant, and the trials are high quality trials so this is reliable, and the good news is these drugs are well known, they have been around for a long time.
"They suppress, would you believe, the immune system, so we talk about immunity being important in protecting us against infection, but sometimes the immune response becomes too overwhelming and case the inflammation in blood vessels in lung tissue that causes problems and increases mortality.
"So by suppressing the immune system as we do using these same drugs for things like asthma, allergies and rheumatoid arthritis, you suppress the inflammation."
* Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am
