13 days to go. A very early concern in all countries, entities and multilateral agencies, was the pressure a pandemic would put on health services. Some 20 months on, it is still a challenge to provide care, protect health workers, sustain community care, and manage people’s health in settings where health systems are weak. ELLEN BLOCK @csbsju, working with Cecilia Vindrola-Padros, medical anthropologist working at University College, London, looked at health workers in UK and USA: how they coped, working unbelievably long hours, and made do.