Covid 19 coronavirus: Santa battles virus in UK hospital in Christmas ad for NHS

A charity supporting the UK’s National Health Service has released a poignant Christmas ad showing a sick Santa being breastfed until he regains health, but some critics have criticized the ‘traumatic children’ ad amid claims that the clip shows Santa Claus fighting Covid.

The charity behind the ad has backed it and blamed the media coverage for inflaming criticism.

The ad, titled “The Gift,” shows an elderly man with a white beard being treated by doctors wearing full PPE, before waking up in a room, connected to oxygen tubes.

The ad then shows mask-wearing hospital staff caring for the man to regain health, transitioning from a wheelchair to a walker, and eventually leaving the hospital.

He is shown responding to letters addressed “to Santa” while a nurse points out “someone popular.”

The final scene shows one of his caretakers receiving a Christmas present with a card that read: “Thank you for all that you have done for all of us”, signed by “Santa”.

Then the true identity of his mystery becomes clear.

The ad is designed to celebrate NHS workers who have spent 2020 fighting Covid-19.

The actions of NHS staff have won national praise in the UK and the country came together earlier this year for “Clap for Carers” every week, with ordinary citizens applauding the workers.

But some in the UK have struggled with the ad, claiming that it suggests it shows Santa battling Covid-19 and that it could have a “traumatizing” effect on children.

Others have praised the video, saying it reminded Britons to think about frontline health workers at Christmas.

Brett Nurse, who works as Santa on Christmas, told The Daily Telegraph that he couldn’t understand why people let children believe that Santa might get sick.

“Our point of view has been that Santa would say that due to his magic and wisdom, he would be protected from Covid and would not be at risk, so the children can still expect Christmas to continue normally.

“We think it’s a much more positive message given that the whole story is a fantasy. I don’t understand why you would make Santa a victim of Covid.

“I feel like people are looking for reasons to get worse this Christmas instead of better, it’s crazy,” Nurse said.

In a statement, NHS Charities Together said its intention had been to support frontline workers and that much of the criticism had been “generated” by negative media coverage.

“We created our Christmas campaign to highlight the continued commitment and hard work of the NHS staff and volunteers to keep us safe and well in what has been and continues to be a truly challenging time for the NHS.

“When we launched the ad earlier in the week, we had an overwhelmingly positive response. Some subsequent media coverage of the ad has drawn criticism of the ad on social media and some people have expressed concern that it would bother children.

“The announcement was made to engage charity supporters and those who want to purchase products that generate donations to the appeal. It is not directed at children and has not been shown on television.

But the charity acknowledged that children may have been affected by the ad, saying: “We are sorry to parents of young children who were upset by seeing the ad and to young children, they were not the intended audience for that.”