During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mikakos was criticised for attacking a Melbourne GP who attended work with flu-like symptoms, after having recently travelled to the United States. The Minister stated that she was 'flabbergasted' a doctor with 'flu-like symptoms' had presented to work, despite the GP not meeting contemporaneous departmental guidelines for testing. These comments were criticised by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and the Doctor, both of whom demanded an apology from the Minister. In an open letter, the Doctor involved accused the Minister of 'cheap grandstanding', and defended his decision to go to work as apparently consistent with contemporaneous Health Department guidelines. The Doctor called for the Minister to apologise for inaccuracies and the Minister was criticised for maligning frontline health workers. The Minister was also accused of having violated patient privacy, by having described the age and clinical practice of the Doctor in her initial press conference. Later, in April 2020, Mikakos was involved in controversy when she defended a comparison between COVID-19 and Captain Cook. In June 2020, Australia saw a second wave of COVID-19 cases in Victoria while Mikakos was Health Minister, leading to panic buying, military personnel being sent to Victoria, and other states urging their residents not to interact with Victorians. The resurgence occurred despite a report from experts a month earlier warning of an opportunity to prevent a further outbreak; Mikakos claimed she was unsure whether her government had received a copy of the report. Jenny Mikakos was the first woman of Greek descent elected to an Australian Parliament. She grew up in Northcote, in her electorate. She attended Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, Thornbury High School, and the University of Melbourne where she obtained arts and law degrees. Before her election to Parliament, Mikakos worked as a commercial and tax lawyer for King & Wood Mallesons and Jerrard & Stuk. She was briefly a Councillor with the City of Northcote in the early 1990s.