Soldiers from the British Army have been trained to help medical staff at IKEA Wembley to test key workers to find out if they are infected with coronavirus.
Corporal Jamie De Maurier from the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment based in Woolwich, and Colour Sergeant Gavin Hudson from the Grenadier Guards based in Aldershot were the first to step up and provide the invaluable service.
The testing site at IKEA Wembley was one of the first to open in London to test NHS staff that were suspected of being infected and who were forced to isolate at home to prevent spreading the virus to patients.
The two soldiers, working with partners from Boots, Sodexo and Deloittes, have been putting this essential skill to good use by training their wider military teams on location at the new COVID-19 testing site, after being trained themselves at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
Trainer Corporal Jamie De Maurier, said “The Boots clinical training was really thorough and prepared me well for the work here in Wembley alongside everyone else.
“This may not be normal infantry work, but its a privilege to be able to step forward and help deal with the coronavirus challenge.”
Among those being trained as testers is 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Private Jermaine Campbell, from East London.
Private Campbell said: “As a Londoner, being able to step up and support the efforts here in my home-city is really important to me.
“The team is a real mix – Boots, Sodexo, and two Army units – but everyone is working together, testing the NHS and key workers who come through, so they can continue their vital work.”
The lives of a further 206 people have been lost to coronavirus in London hospitals, according to NHS England.
This brings the grim total of people who have died in the capital after contracting the deadly virus to 3,071.
However, This figure does not include deaths that occurred at care homes or in the community so is understood to be some what higher.
London remains the worst hit region in England with the majority of the deaths.
Across London there are now 18,472 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
READ MORE FROM SOURCE: https://www.mylondon.news/news/health/london-coronavirus-british-army-help-18092683
