4th of 10 portraits in my series, #seedsofhope: Dr Helen Chu, a Seattle-based infectious-disease expert who defied the US federal government’s attempts to block her from doing the first community tests in Washington state in January. According to @nytimes, a Seattle research group, Seattle Flu Study, was collecting nasal swabs from residents, and Washington confirmed its first positive coronavirus case then, which prompted Dr. Helen Chu to ask for federal and state officials for permission to repurpose the tests in order to monitor the spread of the virus. The officials rejected the idea on public health and private grounds. In late February, Dr. Chu began testing for the virus without government approval. “It must have been here this entire time. It’s just everywhere already.” Without Dr. Chu, the situation would have been a lot worse.
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#seedsofhope is a series featuring 10 people rendered in seeds from my pantry. They are people who have brought hope and inspiration during this time. This piece was made of coriander seeds.
