They rubbished those who knew what they were talking about. Professors Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance were âMessrs Doom and Gloomâ, âfear-mongeringâ and âself-servingâ. That Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam used their tiny amount of spare time to volunteer in hospitals suggests thatâs not true. Now, as the death toll still rises, the same people crawl from the woodwork to demand we lift all restrictions as soon as the most vulnerable are vaccinated.