GMB's Dr Hilary slams ICU doctor who refuses vaccine for 'putting patients at risk'

Dr Hilary Jones has slammed an ICU doctor who refuses to have the Covid vaccine.

Dr Steve James, a consultant anaesthetist working in London, went viral after he challenged health secretary Sajid Javid over the government's decision to make vaccines mandatory for NHS staff.

He claimed "the science isn't strong enough" to support the government's decision - but Dr Hilary has hit back against Dr James' claims, insisting the science is strong enough and if he was vaccinated and did catch Covid, he wouldn't have such a high viral load when infectious and would carry the virus for a shorter amount of time.

Dr Hilary slammed the doctor (ITV)

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Dr Hilary said: "The basic point that I'd like to make is the vast majority of doctors and scientists think the science is plenty strong enough to support vaccination and mandatory vaccination for NHS staff in contact with patients. By his own admission, he's got antibodies so at some point, he's been in contact with coronavirus and has been capable of transmitting coronavirus to the sickest patients in society in intensive and critical care."

Dr Hilary said it was Dr James' "ethical duty" to immunise himself.

Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid quizzed Dr James on his opinion (ITV)

He added: "Having not been vaccinated, he is likely to have a higher viral load when he's been infectious and to carry that virus for longer and all the science shows that transmission in an unvaccinated person is likely to carry on for longer than it would in a vaccinated person.

"He talks about the risk to himself, there is an ethical duty for doctors under the GMC regulations in communicable diseases to immunise yourself to protect the risk to your patients and clearly that isn't happening here."

Dr James said his voice hasn't been heard (ITV)

However, Dr James said he was part of 10 per cent of NHS staff who haven't had the vaccine.

He said: "10 per cent of NHS staff are essentially in the same position as me. I'm not a fringe person, I'm having an expression of my voice, a voice which hasn't been heard. Hundreds of doctors and nurses have contacted me saying thank you, let's open this debate up. The debate hasn't been held."