As the Covid pandemic brought the world to a standstill, Ivor Cummins picked up speed in a very personal and passionate quest to unravel and translate the data into meaningful video bites for the general public. 

If you’ve been following the rise of Covid in any detail, you have probably seen Ivor’s videos referenced. If you haven’t, you probably know someone who has. 

I have known and worked with Ivor for several years now. We collaborated for 2 years to co-produce “Extra Time” and when I left Ireland to return to Cape Town on March 9th, it was with a spring in my step. We had finalised the details of our Irish premiere screening in May and life was good. 

The following week, South Africa introduced draconian lockdown measures to combat Covid 19. As our plans for Extra Time withered and died, Ivor’s commitment to understand exactly what was going on deepened, hardened and ultimately manifested itself in the production of what is arguably the most comprehensive video library analysis of the Covid 19 pandemic data anywhere. 

As the weeks and months passed, we were in constant communication, recording some of our calls on a “just in case Covid got much more interesting” basis (of course it did!). Ivor’s research brought him into contact with – amongst others – the 2013 Nobel Laureate, Prof Michael Levitt of Stanford University and Prof Beda Stadler, Switzerland’s “Vaccine Pope”. 

There was a consensus of opinion emerging that the political response to the Covid pandemic was perhaps not proportional to the threat the disease carried. As I watched that movement grow with the abundance of data becoming available as time went by, it was becoming clear that Ivor’s passion and performance had pushed him to the fore in a global debate with astronomical consequences for mankind. 

When Ivor’s video update “Viral Issue Crucial Update Sept 8th: the Science, Logic and Data Explained!” exceeded 1 million + viewers – including  Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s Chief scientist – within days, it was clear that his unique approach to data analysis had hit a new high.

 After 10 years dedicated to researching root cause mechanisms for metabolic health and heart disease, Ivor’s approach to unpacking Covid 19 was resonating with millions of viewers. 

Of course, nobody is 100% right and the debates will rage on for many years – possibly decades – but Ivor’s unexpected arrival as a Covid Tour de Force and his contribution to the scientific discussion around the pandemic and its political response is a story of our time. 

The Covid Chronicles will chart Ivor’s personal journey and the “great pandemic” of 2020 from a perspective few can ignore. If Covid is a disease of our time, then this is the movie of a time we – and future generations – must never forget.

From the international production team that delivered Cereal Killers (2013), Run on Fat (2015), The Big Fat Fix (2016) and Extra Time (2020).