Roll(out) of the Dice

Promises and pitfalls of governing in a pandemic 

The government’s aim to vaccinate the nation faced a perfect storm of unexpected side effects, supply issues and a highly contagious new virus variant. Armchair experts went beyond the double donut as COVID-19 reporting became increasingly detailed. 

Amid bad headlines and finger pointing, lockdowns spread across the country while outspoken MPs undermined public health messaging, causing headaches for the government. The numbers 70 and 80 became shorthand for freedom.