I remain a second wave sceptic. Yes, cases have taken off, but we never left the first. The appellation gives the strong impression that the current increase was an Act of God and was bound to happen because it is an inherent property of the virus, just as waves happen with influenza (for reasons we don't yet understand). Not so. It is an indictment of the Test and Protect … [Read more...] about A plague on old age
COVID-19: scapegoating begins in earnest
It could be said that in combating COVID-19 we microbiologists have not covered ourselves in glory. A big failing is that we haven't jumped up and down vigorously enough in response to policy errors. A sensitive and specific test – in other words a very good test – for the virus in the nose and throat (RT-PCR) was developed during the second week of January. It used technology … [Read more...] about COVID-19: scapegoating begins in earnest
Second wave scepticism
A "second wave" of COVID-19 cases has been repeatedly promulgated as a pessimistic but very real possibility at Government press conferences. A very recent letter in the British Medical Journal signed by medical Royal College Presidents and journal editors says that it is a "real risk" It has even been said that it could have more catastrophic consequences than the current … [Read more...] about Second wave scepticism
Pareto and the pandemic
Clusters of cases of COVID -19 have been common worldwide. In several countries, big ones marked the beginning of the national epidemic. In France it was the international gathering of the Christian Open Door Church at Mulhouse from 17-24 February, with 2,500 linked cases. In South Korea it was the meeting of the Shincheonji Church in late February with 5,212 confirmed cases … [Read more...] about Pareto and the pandemic
Not so sage experts
Louisa Jordan died from typhus fever at Kraguevatz in Serbia on March 16, 1915. The name of the new COVID-19 hospital in Glasgow commemorates her. A nurse, she was born in Glasgow and had gone to Serbia to nurse wounded soldiers. A typhus fever epidemic started there at the beginning of 1915 and she took charge of a typhus ward. The epidemic lasted several months. It killed … [Read more...] about Not so sage experts