List of honors dominated by those who helped fight the COVID-19 pandemic | UK News

Divya Chadha Manek was 18 when she left home in India and came to the UK on a scholarship.

She still remembers her father’s farewell words.

“He said ‘do good, be good and do something amazing so that you can meet the queen,” she told Sky News.

Seventeen years later, it looks like she’s done just that, having been named OBE for her role on the Vaccine Task Force.

“My father would be proud,” she said.

“He would send a message to all of his friends saying, ‘she’s my daughter.’ We are ultimate royal fans.”

Ms Manek’s father died in December. Although he missed out on this honor, he was alive to see his daughter play a pivotal role in the fight against the coronavirus.

At the start of the pandemic, she was seconded from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to lead clinical trials in the Vaccine Working Group, a role that involved convincing manufacturers to base their studies in the UK. .

“It was quite intimidating,” she admitted.

“You know, when somebody says ‘you have to increase’, there was that step.”

Working from her home in Wembley, north London, during much of the lockdown, Ms Manek said the task force had a motto – ‘Save lives now’ – which has helped boost the team.

“It’s not about me. It’s about the whole team that has done clinical research,” she said of her honor.

“This is a thank you and a nod to the hard work of the people who volunteered to participate in the clinical trials.”

Like many members of the task force team, Ms Manek has not had a day off since the start of the pandemic. And the mother of two is still not considering taking one.

“My dad would always tell me ‘when you get something done it’s the start of something, don’t rely on accomplishments and keep giving.” And I feel like these are some of the things that I want to continue my profession and my personal life. “