Coronavirus: Chesterfield doctor took part in treatment trial
Nick SpittleA doctor from the "plague village" of Eyam who contracted coronavirus has taken part in a national clinical trial to treat the virus.
Nick Spittle, 51, who is leading the Recovery Trial at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, was involved in the study while he was in hospital last month.
The intensive care consultant said he was "inspired by the determination of patients" to take part in the research.
There are 37 Recovery Trials, led by University of Oxford, across the UK.
Dr Spittle, who is the principal investigator for the trial at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, said: "It was a bit surreal to... take part in a research study that I was working on, but I wanted to contribute in any way I could."
Recovery Trial, which has more than 10,000 participants, is supported by the National Institute of Health Research as part of the national research response to the pandemic.
It experiments with five treatment options for Covid-19, including using medication for HIV.
Dr Spittle, who has now returned to work and is no longer on the trial, was chosen to receive the "normal treatment" of oxygen and paracetamol during the research.
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Dr Spittle said he was breathless and had a high temperature before he was admitted to hospital over Easter.
He said the 10 days he spent in hospital were "fairly unpleasant" and at times "a bit delirious".
"Luckily I didn't need to go to my own intensive care unit, which would have been an interesting challenge for my colleagues and myself," he added.
Eyam in Derbyshire is known as the "plague village" after it quarantined itself for more than a year during the plague in 1665.
The doctor said living in the village was a "daily reminder" of the historic response to the disease.
