New York:
Essential workers — the nurses, physicians, delivery folks, grocery-retailer staff and other folks who risked their lives on the frontlines in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic this year to present essential services to the folks — have won TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year Reader Poll.
TIME stated “these heroes” won with 6.5 per cent of the much more than 8 million votes cast in this year’s poll, that had asked readers to choose the individual or group of folks who had the greatest influence on 2020.
“Essential workers beat out some 80 other candidates, including famed figures like (US) President Donald Trump, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Pope Francis, for the readers’ top pick,” TIME stated.
It added that this year’s reader poll final results also highlighted a number of other figures and groups who stood out in the course of an unprecedented and gruelling year.
Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, who “emerged as a trusted figure amid COVID-19 misinformation”, came in at second spot with 5 per cent of the votes.
“Fauci has been on the receiving end of President (Donald) Trump’s public wrath as he raised the alarm about the US’ failure to contain the virus, and continues to be one of the most authoritative voices in the country on combating COVID-19,” TIME stated.
Coming in at third spot had been firefighters with 4.3 per cent of the votes. “Having repeatedly risked their lives to battle historic wildfires all over the world this year, from Australia to the Western United States,” TIME stated.
The Black Lives Matter activists who “led and inspired global demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality” immediately after the killing of a number of African Americans, like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, followed in subsequent in the reader poll with 4 per cent of the votes.
US President-elect Joe Biden, who beat incumbent Trump in a historic presidential election that saw record-breaking turnout, garnered 3.8 per cent of the votes, finishing at fifth spot.
TIME editors will later this week announce the “Person Of The Year”.