BBC presenter Jo Whiley has said her sister Frances is home and "doing great" after being hospitalised with Covid-19.
Frances, who has special needs and diabetes, was admitted to hospital last week after a Covid-19 outbreak at the Northamptonshire care home where she lives.
"I'm so happy for all those people who’ve been living in fear"
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 24, 2021
DJ Jo Whiley, whose sister Frances has a learning disability, reacts to news that people with learning disabilities will be prioritised for the Covid vaccinehttps://t.co/nHM21buibr pic.twitter.com/PWfbAVi1Dl
Broadcaster Whiley had questioned why she had been offered the vaccine ahead of Frances, who has the Cri du Chat genetic syndrome.
Speaking on BBC News on Wednesday, Whiley said: "She got home yesterday. She phoned me this morning.
"I always know how Frances is because she FaceTimes me. She FaceTimes me about a million times a day, and while she was ill those calls stopped.
"So, I got a really early-morning call this morning and that means she is doing well.
"Apparently, she got up at 4.30 in the morning to have some breakfast - her first breakfast - so she has got her appetite back. She's FaceTiming, so all is so much better in the world."
"My parents are now looking after her," Whiley continued. "This is the first step in her recovery. It's going to be hard work from here on in, but she's doing great."
"We thought we were going to lose her," Whiley admitted.
"Four, five days ago, we thought she'd gone. We thought it was all over, so I just could not believe seeing her yesterday, giving her thumbs-up, just looking at her and going, 'Wow, she's back'."
Whiley said she was delighted that the British government had decided that people with learning disabilities will be prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine.
Update on Frances: a thread.
— Jo Whiley (@jowhiley) February 23, 2021
First of all, Frances would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has helped her, especially the amazing doctors and nurses of the NHS, and her many MANY well-wishers. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Te8jD9LtvZ
"This is a great day," she said. "I am so relieved, I'm so happy for all those people who've been living in fear."
Discussing Frances' experience, she continued: "The case with her house - she lived in a house - there are six of them there, all of them tested positive.
"Two weeks ago, they were all fine. A week ago, they weren't. And three of them ended up in hospital and one of them sadly died."
