The historic perspective of Chapter 1 will inform a critique of the comparable responses to COVID-19, questioning why, with the clear warnings of SARS, MERS and Ebola, the UK was so unprepared for an event that had been anticipated for so long. It will explore the deficiencies of leadership in the lead-in to and especially during the response to COVID-19. It will look at whether decisions over lockdown in the UK were dangerously delayed and examine failures ranging from the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the inadequate track and trace infrastructure. It will reveal the U-turns, loss of authority over the stay safe messaging and panicked decisions that contributed to further misery and confusion.

It will end by reviewing the astonishing achievement of the scientists who developed new vaccines against COVID-19 in just a few short months. By 15 February 2021 the UK had met its target to vaccinate 15 million of its most vulnerable citizens, thanks to the efficiency of the NHS and supportive community volunteers. It will show the desperate race against time as the vaccination roll out coincided with escalating infections, a third national lockdown and one of the highest death tolls in the world.