[Daily Maverick] The global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and Covid-19 disease have challenged humanity in many ways. It has also changed the health profession. One example is how laboratory professionals, clinicians, scientists and technical staff moved from their usual role of providing ancillary information to primary clinicians and public health experts to centre stage. This is because laboratory tests are essential for the control of this pandemic, contributing to case identification, isolation, contact tracing, and rationalisa