The science journal Nature ran an editorial on 8 October under the title, “Let patients help define long-lasting COVID symptoms”. In my short response to this editorial, I argue that public policy which considers only COVID mortality and COVID-morbidity...

This is a question recently asked by my colleague Dragos Simandan of Brock University, Ontario. In particular he asks, “In my home discipline of human geography I’ve been surprised by the lack of deep criticism (so far!) against the...

“As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists, we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection.” This Declaration, authored and signed on...

Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University, argues for an opening out of the public debate about the evidential and normative basis of current UK Government COVID-19 policy. His essay appeared in Times Higher Education on 1...

Amidst the panic and fear, here is a sensible perspective on living with COVID-19 risk, articulated by responsible people who understand the sociology, psychology and statistics of risk. It’s time to listen to these experts rather than epidemiological modellers...

Having just finished reading Dorian Lynsky’s wonderful Ministry of Truth, a biography of George Orwell’s 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty Four, a recent headline from The Times newspaper caught my attention.  The Harvard professor of psychology Steven Pinker was accusing...

As the pandemic continues to dominate public politics around the world, a single number – the reproduction rate (R) – has become the focus of policy-making and public communication.  Keeping R below 1.0 appears to be the primary objective...