The Incredible Leaders of the COVID-19 Pandemic

By: Cassandra van Drunen

“There’s a job to be done”- Jacinda Arden

During the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen leaders, both political and medical, rise to the occasion to protect the citizens of their countries and the world. Many leaders globally, including New Zealand’s Janica Arden, America’s Jose Andres and Iran’s Shirin Rouhani, have each used and shown excellent strength and leadership throughout one of the most challenging years of the twenty-first century. I am honoured to share the stories of these incredible leaders and many more.

When the world was preparing to fight the coronavirus, certain country leaders were ready and stepped up to protect the citizens of their nations. Jacinda Arden, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, was one of those leaders. In March, Arden was quick to close the country’s borders entirely, noting that all New Zealanders had to go into self-isolation if they had come into the country. She early on said they were going to make strict regulations and “make no apologies” for them. She acted fast as she realized the nation’s health system would be unable to function if a big outbreak were to occur.

Along with scientific experts, she was able to help implement a four-stage alert system based on the existing wildfire alerts to indicate the current risk and the required social distancing practices. By effectively communicating with the public and taking insight from various experts, Arden was able to declare the pandemic over in June of 2020, reporting one of the lowest coronavirus mortality rates of 1 death per 204 360 people. Other political leaders who can be commended for their actions during this pandemic include Angela Merkel, a chancellor in Germany who stood up early to advocate to take the virus seriously and Katrin Jakobsdottir, Iceland’s Prime Minister who developed free coronavirus testing for its citizens so they could facilitate the rate in which COVID-19 was spreading.

On the front lines of the pandemic, doctors and nurses have shown exemplary dedication, commitment, and leadership, some losing their lives fighting. Ophthalmologist Li Wenliang from Wuhan Central Hospital in China was one of the first people to alert the public about the new virus that was emerging in the city. However noble his actions were, he was detained by Chinese authorities and forced to recant his warning. After release, Dr. Li continued to treat his patients, only to become infected and succumb to COVID-19 on February 17th of 2020. The Chinese government has since honoured him as a “martyr” and Fortune has named him one of 2020’s World’s Greatest Leaders.

Also on this list is Dr. Shirin Rouhani, a physician from Iran. Even after being infected with COVID-19 herself, Dr. Rouhani continued to treat patients due to a severe shortage in medical staff up until her death. A photo of her connected to an IV drip while working went viral after her death, commending her bravery, strength, and leadership. These medical personnel along with many others globally were influential in leading global citizens through the pandemic, including Dr. Amy O’Sullivan of America, Dr. Kamran Khan of Canada, Dr. Maurizio Cecconi of Italy, and many more.

Outside of both the political and medical landscapes, other community leaders have taken the charge to lead the public bodies through the struggles of the pandemic. Amongst these leaders is Jose Andres, a Spanish-American chef and restaurateur. Not only has he been providing food for those affected by the pandemic (serving nearly 100,000 meals a day to healthcare workers and others in coronavirus hotspots), he has provided many jobs for restaurant employees. Continuing his selflessness and leadership in 2021, Chef Andres sent 120 pizzas to the National Guard and police officers present after the Capitol Rioting in early January, stating that “in a very strange and complicated night, we can make sure that those young men and women, often forgotten, can be taken care of”.

Also taking part in philanthropic acts is Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter. In 2020, Dorsey gave away more than $300 million dollars to about 120 nonprofit organizations. Dorsey has been very open about how his money is being distributed, tweeting out a Google spreadsheet tracking his donations, one of his first donations being $4.2 million between him and Rihanna being given to help victims of domestic violence affected by the stay-athome orders in Los Angeles.

The actions of these heroic individuals and many others offer hope as we move into a new year fighting the coronavirus. I hope that as we continue to fight this pandemic on a global scale, leaders who have shown exemplary leadership are able to inspire, advise, and demonstrate how we can successfully overcome the tragedies of the past year.