The unlikely stars of the pandemic

Second draft of history: what lessons are there from the extraordinary experience of the last two years? This week Reaction marks the lifting of the final Covid-19 restrictions in England with an assessment by our writers of how the lockdown and the pandemic reshaped our politics, medicine and attitudes to risk.

As soon as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the globe in March 2020, and in the weeks and months that followed, an unlikely cast of scientists, experts and entertainers were catapulted to a strange sort of fame, becoming permanent fixtures on our TV screens and in the newspapers.

With the final pandemic restrictions in England being eased today, it seems like a good time to look back at the characters who influenced our lives the most in this time of confusion and upheaval.  

Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci, 

At the forefront of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic were the creators of the vaccines, most notably the husband-and-wife co-founders of BioNTech, Professor Ugur Sahin and Dr Özlem Türeci. Both the children of Turkish immigrants to Germany, the pair met working on a cancer ward and aimed to cure cancer through treatment that harnessed a molecule called RNA. For two decades, Türeci and Sahin worked on RNA therapeutics and then, in January 2020, they happened across an article about a new respiratory illness in Wuhan, China. They decided to change tack, and their cancer company became a vaccine company. The duo began to work across the Atlantic to develop the now-ubiquitous Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and in less than a year, they had developed the world’s first approved Covid vaccine and the world’s first RNA therapeutic. 

Kate Bingham 

When Kate Bingham, a venture capitalist, was asked by Boris Johnson to be the Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce in May 2020, critics grumbled with cries of cronyism and nepotism (Bingham was married to Jesse Norman, a Treasury minister, and went to school with the Prime Minister’s sister, Rachel Johnson). But as Bingham rolled out the carpet for the first Covid-19 vaccine, the faultfinders fell silent, as the rollout was a resounding success worldwide. Under her instruction, the UK became the first country to pre-order the Pfizer vaccine, securing 40 million doses. Since the beginning of the rollout, more than 52 million people have had their first vaccine dose, more than 48 million have had both doses, and more than 37 million booster doses have been administered across the UK. 

Watch reaction editor Iain Martin’s interview with Bingham here. 

Chris Whitty 

The no-nonsense chief medical officer (CMO) has been at the front and centre of decision-making and communication of messages since the outbreak of the pandemic. Along with Jonathan Van-Tam and Patrick Vallance, Whitty quickly became a recognisable face at the daily press conferences. “A careful, considered and analytical person”, he took on the chief CMO role in October 2019, having previously played a leading role in the UK effort to fight Ebola in 2014. A private individual, Whitty had never done any broadcast interviews or held press briefings until the coronavirus threat emerged. Soon enough, Whitty became a beacon of stability in turbulent times, and he will always be remembered for speaking to the public with level-headed authority.

Joe Wicks

A dark cloud hung over households in the first national lockdown when Boris Johnson addressed the nation and solemnly implored citizens to “stay at home.” In an attempt to keep schoolchildren mentally and physically fit now that they were confined to the four walls of their home, the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Joe Wicks leapt onto screens across the country. The 35-year-old created “PE with Joe” on YouTube, and it was an instant success. On the first day of PE with Joe, more than 900,000 families tuned in around the world, and on the second, over 955,00 families took part, breaking the world record for largest streamed workout on YouTube. Since then, Wicks has done more than 70 workouts and has had over 70 million views. Not only did he keep families off the sofa and fighting fit, Wicks leapfrogged his way into raising £500,000 for NHS Charities Together through all the money raised from YouTube ads.

Jonathan Van Tam 

The former deputy chief medical officer for England became somewhat of a cult figure during the pandemic through his use of striking metaphors and football analogies. Soon enough, these metaphors or “Van-Tamisms” became a memorable highlight of the sombre Downing Street press briefings as he attempted to explain the timeline of the virus in layman’s terms. We heard the Boston United season ticket holder liken vaccines to a “yoghurt”, Covid-19 to “a spring in a box” and to plea for people to follow the guidelines and not to “tear the pants out of it.” Van Tam, who was recognised among other medical chiefs in the New Year’s Honours List, will be remembered for his unique approach in handling news and for his part in leading the UK’s battle against coronavirus. 

Angela Harnett 

When the first lockdown closed her restaurants in March 2020, the renowned Michelin-starred chef teamed up with Lulu Dillon to establish a non-profit charity, Cook-19. After reading that the majority of frontline and key workers were unable to get to the shelves in opening hours and if they did, panic-buyers had already stripped them; the pair decided to embark on making homemade food, hampers and care packages for NHS workers. Initially, Harnett paid for the ingredients herself, but donations started pouring in, and production ballooned. The team moved into a big kitchen in Bermondsey and recruited chefs and volunteers. In its peak, they were making 1,000 meals for NHS workers every day. Harnett was awarded an OBE for her services to the hospitality industry and the NHS throughout the pandemic. 

Dr Jenny Harries 

Dr Jenny Harries became the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s first chief executive, after being a crucial cog in the government machine that responded to Covid-19 in her role as deputy chief medical officer. Before this, Harries worked on the government’s response to the West African Ebola outbreak, Zika and Novichok poisonings in Salisbury. When the pandemic hit, she, alongside chief medical officer Chris Whitty and deputy Jonathan Van-Tam, became a familiar face as she occasionally attended the daily press conferences, provided updates and answered questions from the press. Harries now sits at the helm of the newly-formed UKHSA as Chief Executive, which is responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats, ensuring the nation can respond quickly and effectively to pandemics and future health threats. 

Patrick Vallance 

Another familiar face from the Downing Street press briefings was the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance. Now one of the nation’s best-known scientists, Vallance was GlaxoSmithKline’s head of research and development. A fan of langoustines, Mimolette cheeses and Seville oranges with sugar, Vallance had dreams of becoming a chef, but they were eclipsed when he decided to pursue medicine. Under his leadership at GSK from 2012-17, new medicines for cancer, asthma, autoimmune diseases and HIV infection were discovered and approved for use worldwide. As the government’s chief scientific adviser, he joined his close friend and confidant Chris Whitty in bringing their behind-the-scenes advisory roles into the limelight. Often seen as the harbingers of bad news – dubbed by some as “glum and glummer” – the duo continually flanked the Prime Minister in the daily briefings and stayed coolheaded as they delivered the news about the threat posed by the virus, took questions from the press and public, and gave evidence for restrictions. Along with Whitty and Van Tam, there’s no doubt that Vallance will be remembered for his pragmatic handling of a once-in-a-generation crisis. 

Dolly Parton 

A $1 million donation by the 76-year-old country music singer to coronavirus vaccine research supported the development of the Moderna vaccine. After her friend Dr Naji Abumrad of the Vanderbilt Institute told Parton that they were making some “exciting advancements” in the search for the cure for the virus, the singer expanded her portfolio of well-known philanthropy to include vaccine research. Her contribution, known as the Dolly Parton Covid-19 Research Fund, helped pay for the first part of the vaccine research led by Dr Mark Denison, a professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at Vanderbilt Inst. The federal government eventually invested $1 billion in the creation and testing of the vaccine. Still, Dr. Denison said it was Patron’s money that funded the “critical” early stages of the research. She told the BBC that she was excited to hear how her contribution provided a “little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world.”  Undoubtedly, Parton will be overjoyed to hear that she was a crucial player in the global effort that has now administered 10.3 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses worldwide.