Jo Whiley reveals her disabled sister is 'very poorly in hospital' with Covid - Money

Jo Whiley has revealed her disabled sister is ‘very poorly in hospital’ with coronavirus.

The BBC Radio 2 DJ, 55, will not be hosting her show after her sister Frances’ illness left her feeling ‘very scared’ on Thursday.

She tweeted: ‘I can’t do my @BBCRadio2 show this evening. My sister Frances is v poorly in hospital with Covid.

‘I don’t feel shiny or happy tonight, I feel very scared. However I’ll be listening to @willyoung who I know will light up our kitchen in the depths of our darkness.’

Frances, 53, suffers from a rare genetic syndrome called Cri du Chat – a chromosomal condition that results in delayed development.

Jo Whiley, 55, will not be hosting her show after her sister Frances’ illness left her feeling ‘very scared’ on Thursday

Frances (pictured), 53, suffers from a rare genetic syndrome called Cri du Chat – a chromosomal condition that results in delayed development

She tweeted: ‘I can’t do my @BBCRadio2 show this evening. My sister Frances is v poorly in hospital with Covid’

The radio presenter previously blasted the Government’s vaccination program after she was offered a coronavirus jab before her sister who lives in a care home.

‘Fit and healthy’ Whiley said it was ‘mind boggling’ she was offered a jab before her younger sister Frances – who has diabetes and complex learning difficulties.

She said she would give up her vaccine ‘in a heartbeat’ in favour of it going to those in a situation such as her younger sister.

Frances was moved into residential care in Northamptonshire in 2015 after her ‘challenging behaviour’ resulted in her needing specialist care.

But the former Radio One DJ said her ‘blood ran cold’ when she and her family were informed of a Covid outbreak at the care home.

Jo, pictured with her sister Frances, told followers that her sister had been left ‘distressed and confused’ by a Covid outbreak at the care home where she lives

She called for the Government to prioritise those with learning difficulties for the vaccine.

Ms Whiley also believes Frances, who is due to be vaccinated in priority group six as part of the ‘all adults at risk’ group, should have been vaccinated in group four due to her diabetes.

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today Programme, Ms Whiley said: ‘We’ve done everything we can to try and facilitate the vaccine getting to people who need it most.

‘She (Frances) is in group six but she also has diabetes quite bad diabetes, which should put her in group four.

What is Cri du Chat syndrome?

Cri du Chat syndrome, also known as ‘5p minus’ syndrome, is a chromosomal condition that results when a piece of chromosome 5 is missing.

The name comes from the French term ‘cat cry’ or ‘call of the cat’.

This is because of one of its key identifying symptoms is a cat-like cry that those with the condition make as children.

Other symptoms include severe cognitive, speech and motor disabilities and behavioural problems such as hyperactivity, aggression, outbursts and repetitive movements.

There are also physical symptoms, with those who have the syndrome often having smaller heads and widely-spaced eyes (hypertelorism).

Diagnosis is primarily based on the distinctive ‘cat cry’ and accompanying physical problems

The syndrome, first discovered in 1963, affects around 1 in 50,000 live births and is slightly more common in women than men.

The condition is not treatable, though children can undergo speech and physical therapy to help with some of the symptoms.

‘I would have thought she should have received it, but she hasn’t. I just want to speak up for people like Frances, who have been overlooked, because this happens so often with people with learning difficulties, who haven’t got a voice.

‘I can’t tell you how frustrating it is and how horrendous it is. It’s the stuff of nightmares.

‘Then ironically I got a message to say I was due to have my vaccine, before my sister, who has learning disabilities and underlying health conditions, go figure.’

Ms Whiley, who thinks she has been offered the vaccine due to her status as a carer for her sister, added: ‘My mind is boggling, it really is, and I would give up my vaccine in a heartbeat for my sister and any of the residents in that care home.’

The radio presenter has been vocal on her social media platforms about trying to get her younger sister Frances, who has diabetes and learning difficulties, the vaccine.

The broadcaster said it had been a ‘long, anxious weekend’ after there was an outbreak of Covid at Frances’ care home in Northamptonshire.

NHS England officially moved onto the next stage of the roll-out on Monday, inviting over-65s and adults with underlying conditions. The national guidance up until now was to focus on the four priority groups — over 70s, NHS staff, care home residents and workers, and seriously-ill adults.

But over-60s in some areas leading the way in the vaccine roll-out have already been contacted. NHS bosses say local health teams can make their own way down the list of nine priority groups, so long as they have attempted to reach everyone above them.

Official figures suggest that more than 2million Brits in the top four priority groups have still yet to be vaccinated, despite ministers saying they have all been offered a jab.

Meanwhile, figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), reported as part of the Radio 4 interview, showed how 6 in 10 people who died of Covid up until November last year had a disability.

Ms Whiley told her followers: ‘Still no vaccination for Frances and now there’s an outbreak of COVID in her care home.

‘Staff are doing all they can to keep everyone safe but it’s the stuff of nightmares.

‘She’s distressed and confused, my parents and I never more scared and sad for her.’

In a later post, revealing she had been offered the vaccine, she wrote: ‘Blimey, the irony. I’ve just been asked to book my vaccine.

‘I desperately wish my sister had been offered the vaccine before me. I am fit and healthy. She has learning disabilities and diabetes.’