Gongs for NHS heroes
SAVING GRACE FOR OUR COVID FIGHTERS
VACCINE heroes who battled to find the jabs to save Brits have received gongs in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Chief among them were the brains behind the UK’S Oxford University/ Astrazeneca vaccine.
Co-designer Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology, becomes a dame.
She said: “It’s great to have the recognition on behalf of the whole team and the large number of people who worked very hard to get this vaccine developed, manufactured, tested and now those working on the rollout.”
Ms Gilbert’s colleagues Prof Andrew Pollard of the Oxford Vaccine Group and Prof Peter Horby, joint chief investigator for the Recovery trial searching for coronavirus treatments, will be knighted for their services to public health and medical research respectively. Prof Adrian
Hill, co-director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Vaccines, is an honorary Knight.
Kate Bingham, former chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, which secured millions of doses of jabs for the nation, gets a damehood.
She was “humbled” to be recognised in a year when NHS workers have “risked their health and lives”.
She added: “The development of vaccines has been a triumph of scientific and industrial collaboration.
“Just a year ago, we were assembling an unproven portfolio of vaccines for the UK. Yet in the past six months nearly 70million vaccine doses have saved thousands of lives.’’
Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s national director of emergency planning, will be knighted for services to the NHS.
Prof Teresa Lambe has been awarded an OBE for services to Science and Public Health.
And Rhys Mallows has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the NHS and key workers for repurposing his bottling business to produce hand sanitiser.
THE honours system is not to everyone’s taste.
In 2021 it feels a bit daft watching someone getting knighted with a sword.
And it’s not always decent people who get the gongs.
Think Fred “The Shred” Goodwin, or Philip Green. Or even Jimmy Savile...
But today’s announcement sets the right tone.
If anyone is deserving of our praise it is the heroes who are dragging us out of this pandemic.
We are not talking about the Government, of course.
We mean the scientists who have developed a vaccine.
And those who made sure the elderly and isolated had food in their cupboards.
And people who ran free taxis for key workers.
And a host of selfless others who put the survival of our society before themselves.
They truly are heroes.
And deserve to be treated as such.