UK Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam. — AFP Photo

LONDON — Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, has received a Knighthood from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the fight against COVID-19.

Jonathan Van-Tam, an Englishman of Vietnamese origin, received his Knighthood in the New Year’s Honours, which also included England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty.

Van-Tam, an expert on influenza, has been Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England since 2017. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, he has become famous for his press conferences on the situation that attracted millions of viewers. The Sunday Times called him an “unexpected hero in the pandemic”.

At the Việt Nam National Day celebration in London in September last year, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK honoured the professor for his provision of policy advice for Việt Nam’s COVID-19 prevention and control.

The New Year's Honours acknowledged achievements and contributions of people around the UK across different fields, including politics, entertainment, and sport. — VNS