Why have the British people overwhelmingly backed the lockdowns? One possible reason is that they overestimate the risks of COVID-19, especially the risks to young people.
Sweden's low excess mortality in 2020 undermines the pro-lockdown case. Defenders often counter that Sweden fared badly compared to its neighbours. There are several reasons why this is a bad argument, says Dr Noah Carl.
The argument for lockdowns made a clear prediction concerning what would happen in Sweden. But that prediction was wrong. Up to week 51, the country saw age-adjusted excess mortality of just 1.7%, below the EU average.
Boris said the lockdown has been "overwhelmingly important". But several places have seen numbers decline absent a lockdown, and evidence suggests the infection peak in UK occurred before our three lockdowns were imposed.
Should showing a vaccine passport be a condition of accessing outdoor sporting events? No, says Dr Noah Carl. The level of population immunity is high, and the risk of outdoor transmission is low.
What effect did school closures have on children's learning? A recent study found that Dutch students made considerably less progress in 2020 than in each of the three preceding years.
The number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending March 26th was 5% below the five-year average, and marks the third consecutive week of "negative excess deaths".
Despite having never locked down, South Dakota has not seen a surge in cases. Covid deaths are now down to one a day and South Dakota's unemployment rate is the lowest in all 50 U.S. states.
Offering free rapid tests to the entire population is a waste of money. It would make more sense to target resources at vulnerable people who have not yet had the virus or been vaccinated.
The chart on the Government's coronavirus dashboard showing the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test is misleading – it understates the severity of the first wave and overstates the severity of the second.
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