‘A real hero of the pandemic’
COMEDIAN Janey Godley and sea shanty sensation Nathan Evans, who kept the nation entertained during lockdown, both hailed the true hero of the pandemic – Dr Kenneth Baillie.
The critical care specialist has been a leading light in the fight against Covid-19, heading up vital studies and contributing to the trial which found the first effective treatment.
Presenting Dr Baillie with his Special Recognition award, Janey, whose hilarious voiceovers of Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid briefings have gone viral said: “The work he has done is unbelievable. While I’ve been telling Frank to get the door and wittering on about clicky pens, he’s been finding a treatment.
“He’s been able to find and isolate teeny weeny genes while the rest of us couldn’t find a toilet roll. He is one of the real heroes of the pandemic.”
Nathan, who scored a number one with his Wellerman sea shanty, added: “While I’ve been busy singing and strumming my guitar, Dr Baillie has been busy saving the lives of actual people. I feel so humbled by all the Pride of Scotland winners.”
For the last 20 years Dr Baillie, 42, who leads a lab at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, has focused his research on better care for seriously-ill patients and how genes can play a part in response to infection.
He contributed to the set-up and delivery of the RECOVERY trial, which found the first effective treatment, a steroid called dexamethasone, and has gone on to find a further two treatments.
Dr Baillie, an intensive care consultant at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, said: “I’m honoured to receive this recognition, but really it is a team of thousands of people across the country who have done the research that’s being recognised. The response from everyone, researchers, lab staff, clinicians and support teams, has been inspiring.
“We all still have a lot of work left to do and we’re still seeing people die of Covid in ICUs across the country. But we’ve shown that we can turn Covid into a treatable disease.”