Ireland's prime minister re-registers as a doctor to help during coronavirus pandemic

Leo Varadkar.
(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is going back to his roots, with his office announcing on Sunday that once a week, he will work as a doctor in order to help patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

Varadkar spent seven years as a doctor, leaving the profession in 2013 when he became a politician. His office said he re-registered as a physician in March, and The Irish Times reports he will be assessing people over the phone, talking to them about their symptoms before they go to the hospital.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.