Jonathan Van-Tam
British influenza researcher
Sir Jonathan Stafford Nguyen-Van-Tam MBE FRCPath FRSB FMedSci (born 2 February 1964), also known by his nickname JVT is a British healthcare professional and academic specializing in epidemiology, transmission, vaccinology, and antiviral drugs. During the Covid-19 pandemic he was a Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and one a the team briefing the public on the pandemic on behalf of the British Government. He became known through these briefings and particularly for his use of metaphors in the explanations.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/S960_Professor_Van-Tam.jpg/220px-S960_Professor_Van-Tam.jpg)
Quotes
edit- Nothing reduces the risks to zero other than standing in a meadow completely on your own ad infinitum with nobody coming within three metres of you.
- Blackall, Molly (13 January 2022). 10 of Jonathan Van-Tam’s best quotes, metaphors and analogies as he quits as Deputy Chief Medical Officer. inews.co.uk.
- Quote from part of a Downing Street press conference.
- So this is like… getting to the end of the play-off final, it's gone to penalties, the first player goes up and scores a goal ... You haven't won the cup yet, but what it does is, it tells you that the goalkeeper can be beaten.
- Morton, Becky (3 December 2020). Jonathan Van-Tam's best analogies: Penalties, equalisers & yoghurts. bbc.co.uk.
- JVT giving a football analogy to news that results from some early vaccine trials in the Covid-19 pandemic and that there were now indications that the Covid-19 could be beaten.