Governments throughout Europe, including Scotland, are now putting all their efforts for containing or suppressing COVID-19 into getting as many of their country's population vaccinated as soon as possible. They are out-vying each other in claims about doses secured and numbers vaccinated. But the deployment of the various vaccines (now three available in the UK) creates … [Read more...] about Vaccination: new start or emperor’s clothes?
Statistical amnesia
May 21, 2021 Update: A Scottish government agency breached freedom of information rules by refusing to reveal how many people had died of Covid in each of the country's care homes. Full BBC report HERE See also Scottish Information Commission report: Number of Deaths in Care Homes HERE In this pandemic there has been an unprecedented obsession with “the data”. As the … [Read more...] about Statistical amnesia
Straw man statistics
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers (Thomas Pynchon)May 21, 2021 Update: A Scottish government agency breached freedom of information rules by refusing to reveal how many people had died of Covid in each of the country's care homes. Full BBC report HERE See also Number of Deaths in Care Homes: Scottish Information … [Read more...] about Straw man statistics
No more political games
So, the Statistics Regulator (UKSA) has criticised Nicola Sturgeon for stating that prevalence of COVID-19 in England is five times higher than in Scotland. The criticism was that using unpublished data without attribution lacked transparency and the comparisons made were not comparing like with like. In normal times there would be few impartial analysts who would rush to the … [Read more...] about No more political games
The Ministry of Truth
Are UK Government Covid-19 statistics subject to manipulation? If so, whose hand is on the data? Senior medical statistician James Urquhart examines a mystery and possible malfeasance. Why is the UK nation with the worst track record relaxing restrictions fastest?Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.' … [Read more...] about The Ministry of Truth