Sajid Javid confirmed the news on Thursday
England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam will be leaving his role at the end of March.
He will be leaving his role in government and returning to his role in academia at the University of Nottingham.
Prof Van-Tam became a household name during the pandemic appearing on daily briefings alongside Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty.
His decision to leave his role is not thought to be related to politics or the recent Downing Street party controversies.
The Health Secretary tweeted: “It has been an honour to work with JVT and I am hugely grateful for his advice & the vital role he has played in our vaccination programme. I wish him all the best for the future at @UniofNottingham @UoNFacultyMHS”
It has been an honour to work with JVT and I am hugely grateful for his advice & the vital role he has played in our vaccination programme.
I wish him all the best for the future at @UniofNottingham @UoNFacultyMHS
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) January 13, 2022
Related links:
- Jonathan Van-Tam says coronavirus will ‘be with humankind forever’
- UK will be one of first countries out of covid pandemic, according to expert
Often affectionately referred to as JVT, he became known for his analogies, often using his love for football as a way to communicate the seriousness of the pandemic and where the country was at in its fight against the virus.
In late 2020 – while describing the early stages of the pandemic – he said “it’s clear the away team gave us an absolute battering”.
A year later, in November 2021, he warned “the final whistle hasn’t blown” in the pandemic, but did predict we were in “half time of extra time”.
Prof Van-Tam had been on secondment to the Department of Health from the University of Nottingham for a number of years, the BBC reports.
At the start of this year, Prof Van-Tam was honoured with a knighthood alongside Prof Whitty.
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