Who is Dr Jenny Harries and what has the Deputy Chief Medical Officer said about the UK coronavirus crisis?

AS the UK continues to grapple with the coronavirus crisis, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries has become a familiar face at the Government's daily public briefings.

But who is Dr Harries, the expert who has joined Chief medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty at many of the press conferences and what has she said about the UK's response to coronavirus?

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Who is Dr Jenny Harries?

Dr Jenny Harries is one of two deputy chief medical officers (CMO) for England.

She supports the CMO, Professor Chris Whitty, who is the UK Government's most senior independent adviser on health and medicine.

He is also head of the medical civil service and public health.

Dr Harries has been in the role since July 2019.

What is her role in the coronavirus crisis?

While Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Whitty, is the Government's leading voice in its fight against coronavirus, Dr Harries assists and stands in for him when he is unavailable.

Dr Harries has been regularly filling in for Dr Whitty at press briefings now he has started self-isolating after developing coronavirus symptoms on Friday, March 27.

She appeared alongside PM Boris Johnson prior to his coronavirus diagnosis.

What has Jenny Harries said about coronavirus in the UK?

Dr Harries has said it might take six months before life returns to normal for Brits as the world continues to fight the spread of coronavirus.

The lockdown could last until at least autumn or perhaps longer, she said at a press conference on Sunday, March 29, but the restrictions will be reassessed every three weeks.

"To make it clear to the public, if we are successful we will have squashed the top of that curve [of infections] which is brilliant," she said.

“But we must not then revert to our normal way of living — that would be quite dangerous.

“If we stop, then all our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak."

Dr Harries cautioned that she was not saying a full lockdown would definitely be in place for six months, but said the date is a “moving target” and she expected the return to "normal" everyday life would be gradual.

At a virtual press briefing from Downing Street on March 24, 2020, Dr Harries advised couples who didn't live together to stay apart during UK's coronavirus lockdown or "test the strength of their relationship and move in together".

It came after there was confusion whether couples would be at risk of a £30 fine if they ventured out to meet during the three-week lockdown.

Earlier in March, Dr Harries wrote in The Sun that the UK was a world leader in preparing for serious disease outbreaks.

What else has she done in her career?

Dr Harries was born in October 1958 and qualified in medicine at the University of Birmingham in 1984.

She holds formal qualifications in pharmacology, medicine, business administration, public health, health economics and strategic commissioning.

Dr Harries joined Public Health England (PHE) in February 2013 as regional director for the South of England and is also PHE’s deputy medical director.

She has worked in clinical, policy, evaluation and research roles in many countries including New Zealand, Pakistan, India, Kenya and the Caribbean.

Dr Harries trained in Public Health in Wales and has held a number of formal public health appointments.