This year the picture desk has chosen Hector Retamal as its agency photographer of the year. We spoke to the AFP photojournalist about his experience of covering the Covid pandemic in Wuhan and Shanghai, and take a closer look at his work during 2020
There was one unavoidable story of 2020, which touched everyone around the world: the
Coronavirus pandemic. What is fascinating about Hector Retamal’s work is that he has covered the crisis almost exclusively in
China, which bore the initial impact and led the events that followed around the globe in the months to come.
Images that came to dominate our consciousness were first seen in Wuhan as the virus struck. Retamal’s photojournalism follows a narrative arc, from the initial discovery and spread of the virus, through the treatment and containment efforts, and towards a more hopeful exit on the other side.