On May 13th, the UK newspaper, The Guardian, reported the death toll in UK care homes may be double the official figure and could be as high as 22,000. The UK deaths from COVID19 now total almost 40,000, the highest in Europe. Continue reading
WHO, the Lancet and the French lock horns. Patients lose?
Only half of medical research can be trusted, according to Dr. Richard Horton, Editor in chief, The Lancet, 2015.
On May 26th, the WHO announced it was stopping the solidarity trials into Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) Continue reading
South Africa: Using Numbers to Justify Suffering?
Counting the numbers: Politics, Facts and Possible Fiction
As reported in previous posts, South Africa has imposed one of the most draconian lockdowns in the world. After two months and a small shift Continue reading
5 Steps to Unlock the UK?
Our comments on the UK Strategy: In April the UK government outlined the following 5 steps needed to unlock the country. As of May 13th, the UK has loosened the lockdown restrictions but many restrictions remain in place. Are the government’s plans realistic or is it simply delaying releasing Continue reading
Prof Gupta, Oxford – COVID on its way out
Unherd spoke to Professor Gupta, Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at Oxford University and head of the team that challenged the Imperial College’s prediction that triggered the global lockdown. She discusses anti-bodies, Infection Fatality rate, Lockdown, the UK government’s Continue reading
Sweden and Tanzania: resisting lockdown
Sweden has stood out as an alternative example of how to deal with COVID19. Instead of imposing a full lockdown, based on the recommendations and mathematical models of experts in the field, they chose a more voluntary form of social distancing, closing large gatherings and protecting the elderly, but otherwise Continue reading
Pharma monopoly? Medical colonialism? Alive and well
‘I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innovate.’ ~ Jeff Bezos
The WHO announced the world is in the grip of a devastating pandemic, millions of deaths are predicted and in order to stop the spread of SARS-cov-2, the virus that causes COVID19, the world’s economy Continue reading
Ten Reasons to End the Lockdown Now
Dr John Lee, recently retired pathologist and former NHS consultant pathologist, wrote an insightful article about the numbers in order to bring some clarity at a time when media hysteria was at its zenith. We quoted him in our own ongoing analysis of the numbers. In the face of a rising death rate, Continue reading
The Computer Code That Shut Down the World
Professor Ferguson co-founded the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London. The centre was responsible for the COVID19 computer modelling that warned of 500,000 deaths in the UK Continue reading
Different Reactions to COVID19 Across Africa
In South Africa, Shabir Madhi, a director at the South African Medical Research Council and professor of vaccinology at the University of Witwatersrand, said the the virus could be with us for a few years. “ We must be clear. This is not a three to six-month project. This is not the 2020 phenomenon. Continue reading
What’s Happening in Tanzania and Kenya
Both countries share a long border in East Africa, with expansive coastlines into the Indian Ocean. They have a similar sized population, between 53-59 million people. Tanzania is approximately ½ as big again as Kenya with large areas of natural preserve. Kenya has a dry, more sparsely populated Continue reading
UK Govt: We are guided by the science. What science?
The UK has been under lockdown / house arrest for six long weeks, the economy has been put on hold, income has vanished, parents are now teachers and people isolated from their friends and families. By and large the Brits, encouraged by Johnson’s evocation of the war-time “your country needs you”, Continue reading
Looking at the numbers
Trevor Gunn takes a look at the numbers for COVID19 – the predictions, the assumptions, and how the numbers are being calculated.
Lockdown in South Africa Update May 4th
South Africa enacted 5 levels of lockdown in response to the COVID-19 crisis. They have just relaxed it from Level 5 to Level 4 on May 1st, although the joke in South Africa is that it is really Level 4.75. Not much has changed. You can exercise in the morning, but have to be back inside by 9am!! Continue reading
Is a Vaccine the answer to COVID19?
It is now a fundamental assumption amongst governments and health experts world wide that a new vaccine for COVID-19 is the only solution to the current pandemic crisis. Billions of dollars, backed by taxpayers money and through philanthropic donations are being channelled to pharmaceutical companies to fast track a new vaccine to the market Continue reading
What’s happening? South Africa: a long journey to normalcy
South Africa has instituted one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic that has profoundly impacted life all over the globe, has also been felt in sub-Saharan Africa. However, currently in Africa there are hardly any confirmed Continue reading
Making Sense of the Numbers
We are being bombarded by number of cases, confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from COVID-19. It is hard to follow and also to know what is really true. Are the deaths under counted as has been suggested or exaggerated due to people now being tested more than ever and any death being attributed to COVID-19 even if a person died Continue reading
World’s top communicable disease specialist
The world’s top communicable disease specialist discusses the use of the hydroxychloroquine protocol.
“As Chloroquine has proven its efficacy in treating the Covid-19 disease, using it is now a matter of public policy, and not of science”
Unfortunately, the video originally posted where Professor Raoult discusses his experience with patients and the Hydroxychloroquine protocol, has been removed from YouTube because it “breached community guidelines”, so this video is the Professor talking about his experience but not mentioning the protocol by name. Thus is the current level of censorship around COVID19.
UK update: Watching the language of COVID
As the country decides how to unlock, the government is discussing possible strategies of ongoing social isolation, the social bubble, lockdown scenarios, and possible quarantine with forced removals from homes or care homes. An article in The Guardian, on April 30th quoted, “Social bubbles’ of small groups could be Continue reading
The Limited Capacity of Ventilator Use in treating COVID19
The world has a shortage of ventilators. Most countries, even in the USA and Europe have been speaking about the lack of ventilators needed to treat the sickest of patients with COVID19. In the USA, General Motors Continue reading