The rising heroes of the coronavirus pandemic are the nations’ biggest nerds

Some of the scientists, are also painfully vulnerable, becoming sick themselves while carrying out their duties. In Italy, a nation ravaged by the virus more than any other in the world so far, Dr Massimo Galli, director of the infectious diseases department at Luigi Sacco University Hospital in Milan, swapped his lab coat for a suit and accepted he “would be overexposed in the media” in order to set things straight, he told one talk show. He called social distancing “the mother of all battles.” He fretted about the risks that lurk in Italy’s multigenerational families, a tough message even as he believes home contagions became the No. “He’s humble, modest and caring, but he’s also undeniably a top expert.” Dr Christian Drosten has emerged as the voice of scientific reason in Germany, where the effect of the virus has been deeply felt despite a relatively low death rate. Chancellor Angela Merkel and her health minister, Jens Spahn, have also asked Drosten to consult on the political response to the crisis, although, as he was quick to point out to the German weekly Die Zeit, “I’m not a politician, I’m a scientist.” “I’m happy to explain what I know,” he said.