> Claims that Covid is now on a par with flu, even if it were true, should not result in relief, but in concern as another serious disease adds to the burdens of an existing one.
This rather depends on your base point. Of course it's bad that we have Covid now as well as flu; obviously our position with regards respiratory infections is a lot worse now than in 2019. But on the other hand, things are still vastly better than the situation in 2020, or even 2021.
The BBC article should never have been published. Not only did it miss the basic point of Covid not being seasonal it's tone was essentially "this is just a bad cold" completely missing the point that flu is a serious illness. I cannot help thinking the desire to fill space overrode careful consideration of the issues. Possibly a result of the swinging cuts BBC is making.
I find these articles deeply troubling as they will offer people a false sense of security, which could lead to them getting very sick or causing others to get very sick.
I don't think it's deliberate, but I do think there is a natural bias in both politics and journalism to want this to be over. Both professions lean heavily towards extroverted people who thrive on personal interaction, i suspect lockdown was far harder for them than for those less dependent on social interaction. So you get a bias towards believing things are as they want them to be and medical evidence can be hard to understand and rarely sends an unambiguous message, reality being nuanced and so on. And sadly, these professions have a disproportionate ability to shape the national narrative.
I've seen similar wishful thinking pieces in a couple of other major news outlets so I'm looking forward to a winter of being given odd looks when i wear my mask shopping!
The Zoe app has stopped reporting figures. Hospitals are only testing 'symptomatic' patients. NHS staff can go to work if they have Covid and are discouraged from testing. Complete madness.
I had my 3rd bout of Covid in August. Took 6 weeks to get over it.
I find it hard to believe that the government of a country like ours can be actively trying to hide the data and information about the biggest threat to collective health of my lifetime. It really upsets me. They have minimised the effects and not put forward credible argument to support masking, fresh air etc. That has allowed the conspiracy theorists and downright nasty people to pick on those of us who try to do their best and belittle us, even threaten us. What a mess we have got ourselves into. This horrible virus is not a "winter bug".
I was at the GP surgery yesterday, masked in FFP3. But I felt I needed to explain myself so I said I have a cold (which I do). I should not feel I have to explain myself. The waiting areas were full. No one other than me in a mask. GP not masked. He said there were a lot of colds around. And then said, "and Covid. It's everywhere." So why are they not asking people in the medical centre to wear masks!? It's making me question my own understanding of how things work.
I gave up on social media because 'discussions' dealt in binary terms - the idea was totally correct or totally wrong. Christina's writings get back to the evidence based and nuanced discussions I grew up with. Thank you for doing the hard work to simplify complex data for a wider audience
Thank you Christina for your continued messages on this important subject. I read the BBC article and was horrified by the minimising tone and misrepresentation of the statistics. You have been a go-to source of information for me during the last couple of years, along with your Independent Sage colleagues. It is much appreciated.
Thank you for a clear and easy to understand article. When I saw who had written the BBC article, I decided not to read it as it would make me too angry. I used to have such respect for BBC journalists; I still do for most of them
> Claims that Covid is now on a par with flu, even if it were true, should not result in relief, but in concern as another serious disease adds to the burdens of an existing one.
This rather depends on your base point. Of course it's bad that we have Covid now as well as flu; obviously our position with regards respiratory infections is a lot worse now than in 2019. But on the other hand, things are still vastly better than the situation in 2020, or even 2021.
The BBC article should never have been published. Not only did it miss the basic point of Covid not being seasonal it's tone was essentially "this is just a bad cold" completely missing the point that flu is a serious illness. I cannot help thinking the desire to fill space overrode careful consideration of the issues. Possibly a result of the swinging cuts BBC is making.
I find these articles deeply troubling as they will offer people a false sense of security, which could lead to them getting very sick or causing others to get very sick.
I don't think it's deliberate, but I do think there is a natural bias in both politics and journalism to want this to be over. Both professions lean heavily towards extroverted people who thrive on personal interaction, i suspect lockdown was far harder for them than for those less dependent on social interaction. So you get a bias towards believing things are as they want them to be and medical evidence can be hard to understand and rarely sends an unambiguous message, reality being nuanced and so on. And sadly, these professions have a disproportionate ability to shape the national narrative.
I've seen similar wishful thinking pieces in a couple of other major news outlets so I'm looking forward to a winter of being given odd looks when i wear my mask shopping!
The BBC article seems to be passing off falsehoods mixed in with some truths, and I forget the name of that strategy!
The Zoe app has stopped reporting figures. Hospitals are only testing 'symptomatic' patients. NHS staff can go to work if they have Covid and are discouraged from testing. Complete madness.
I had my 3rd bout of Covid in August. Took 6 weeks to get over it.
I find it hard to believe that the government of a country like ours can be actively trying to hide the data and information about the biggest threat to collective health of my lifetime. It really upsets me. They have minimised the effects and not put forward credible argument to support masking, fresh air etc. That has allowed the conspiracy theorists and downright nasty people to pick on those of us who try to do their best and belittle us, even threaten us. What a mess we have got ourselves into. This horrible virus is not a "winter bug".
I was at the GP surgery yesterday, masked in FFP3. But I felt I needed to explain myself so I said I have a cold (which I do). I should not feel I have to explain myself. The waiting areas were full. No one other than me in a mask. GP not masked. He said there were a lot of colds around. And then said, "and Covid. It's everywhere." So why are they not asking people in the medical centre to wear masks!? It's making me question my own understanding of how things work.
Ditto everything below. However bothers me that raw data will dry up, Gov is hell bent in obscuring 'CoV-2 status and any overheads, economy x3.
I gave up on social media because 'discussions' dealt in binary terms - the idea was totally correct or totally wrong. Christina's writings get back to the evidence based and nuanced discussions I grew up with. Thank you for doing the hard work to simplify complex data for a wider audience
Thank you Christina for your continued messages on this important subject. I read the BBC article and was horrified by the minimising tone and misrepresentation of the statistics. You have been a go-to source of information for me during the last couple of years, along with your Independent Sage colleagues. It is much appreciated.
Ditto for me. Christina helps it all make sense.
Excellent summary
Thank you for a clear and easy to understand article. When I saw who had written the BBC article, I decided not to read it as it would make me too angry. I used to have such respect for BBC journalists; I still do for most of them
Thanks for taking the time to research and publish this.