The statistical presentation posted yesterday is interesting and would explain the like of Trump and Johnson's reactions to the pandemic. It may also explain why the words 'following the science' are often used by politicians. They are obviously referring to statistical science rather than medical.
I thought that the relationship between the lock-down measures and the spread of the disease was dismissed too lightly by simply predicting that the forward infection and death rate would now follow seasonal patterns regardless. So as with much statistical analysis it comes down to probability and this is where the politicians get scared and start reacting to perceived public pressures.
Not often mentioned is the death rate amongst the caring and medical staff. These statistics can't be regarded in the same way as excess deaths and I wonder what percentage of medical staff have died in previous epidemics as a result of catching the infection from the patients they are caring for. It would also be interesting to know what from of PPE they might have worn or used. This would help determine the perniciousness of this particular virus.
