Wimbledon Standing Ovation For COVID Vaccine Scientist

At Monday’s opening day of play on Wimbledon’s Centre Courtroom in London, the announcer advised the gang of spectators there have been some particular visitors in attendance.

Individuals who performed vital roles within the UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — from transport employees to medical staffers with Britain’s Nationwide Well being Service — had been invited to sit down within the royal field.

However the announcer solely made it partially via the record earlier than the gang reacted.

“At present [the special guests] embrace leaders who’ve developed the anti-COVID vaccines,” stated the announcer, because the digicam zoomed in on Dame Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology on the College of Oxford who led the group that developed the AstraZeneca vaccine.

For her efforts, Gilbert acquired a damehood earlier this month when she was named on the Queen’s birthday honors record.

When the Wimbledon crowd realized who was in attendance, they burst into wild applause that quickly grew to become a standing ovation.