>>>An ER nurse Goes viral on YouTube for his videos on the coronavirus

John Campbell/YouTube

• As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, John Campbell has emerged as a popular online resource for learning about the pandemic.
• Campbell, who is an academic and emergency nurse, has been uploading videos of lectures to the platform for over a decade in order to make anatomy and physiology instruction widely accessible.
• In January, he began posting videos addressing the novel coronavirus.
• Two months later, Campbell’s channel boasts 500,000 loyal subscribers who describe his content as “essential.”
• Campbell says he is concerned with providing accurate information in a calm and measured way.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

YouTube’s newest star, who boasts nearly 500,000 subscribers is not a comedian, online troll, or TikTok phenom. John Campbell, an academic and A&E (accident and emergency) nurse of 40 years, has achieved viral fame for his YouTube videos addressing the realities of the novel coronavirus.

Campbell, who began uploading videos to his channel twelve years ago, wanted to harness the power of YouTube to make quality nursing education accessible. After teaching abroad in India and Cambodia, he discovered a demand for anatomy and physiology instruction in English. He went on to upload lectures to the platform — usually several per week.

“The idea sort of makes education more accessible — more egalitarian, really,” Campbell told Insider.

While Campbell’s earlier teaching videos have received several thousand views, his videos over the last two months (all of which address the novel coronavirus) have racked up hundreds of thousands of views each. He attributes the spike in views and subscribers to widespread interest in learning about the pandemic.

A recent video titled “COVID-19 Immunity and social distancing” has received nearly 228,000 views.

For Campbell, the viral fame is hardly a priority — he says he’s concerned with providing accurate information, sourced from medical journals and his experience working in the healthcare sector, to aid in lowering the peak of the pandemic. His daily videos include updates on the international implications of the pandemic, tips for protecting oneself and one’s family, and an explanation of the mechanics of virus transmission.

His philosophy is simple: “People who are well informed are more likely to make the right decisions,” he explained.

While fame may not be a motivating factor in his work, Campbell is beloved online.

“When men like Dr. Campbell are about, the rest of us are elevated,” one commenter wrote on a recent video.

“This has become an absolutely essential source of daily information in my life,” another said.

One subscriber even suggested that Campbell have a place on The Queen’s Birthday Honours List, an annual list made to recognize the outstanding achievements of people in the UK.

“Dr. John Campbell said it so it is law,” a fan quipped in a tweet promoting “elbow bumps” over the traditional handshake.

Campbell’s calm delivery has distinguished him in online dialogue, which is often sensationalized and driven by panic.

“I think it’s important at this time to have a calm and measured approach that is as informed as possible,” Campbell told Insider. “Given that no one can be fully informed because it’s such a massive subject now, it’s good to have someone that tries to examine this objectively.”

While Campbell admits he doesn’t always succeed in this — he says his opinions formed from decades of experience in the medical field can creep in – the channel is his “genuine attempt” to make information accessible in an objective way.

As for his advice for people hoping to do their part to contain the spread of the virus?

The most obvious first step is “meticulous personal hygiene.”

Naturally, you can find a video titled “hand washing, so important” uploaded to his channel.

Read the original article on Insider