Cases continue to fall week on week in England, Scotland and Wales, while there has been a small up-tick in Northern Ireland, but from a low level.
Not yet back down to September levels, but close. 1/7
The slight up-tick in NI is there in the positivity data (positives/tests taken) but it seems to fall off more recently.
England, Scotland and Wales all showing continued falls in positivity and rates below 2.5%
2/7
Cases continue to fall in all English regions.
(Orange dots in week-on-week plot show this week's rate and grey dots last week's)
Some areas (North West) now below September levels (green diamonds) and others (North East) very close.
3/7
Similarly, positivity levels continue to fall in all regions with each area now below 3%.
Biggest week on week fall in Yorkshire and the Humber albeit from the highest level.
Most regions below their September 1st positivity rate. 4/7
At a local authority (LA) level cases fell in 211 of 315 LAs in England and 82 of 315 LAs are now below September 1st levels (green diamonds).
All Scottish LAs are now below 70 cases per 100K.
All Welsh LAs below 30 cases per 100K. 5/7
Some big rises in case numbers in some Northern Irish LAs (Derry & Strabane and Mid-Ulster) but these are not reflected in the positivity data with Mid-ulster showing only a small rise and Derry & Strabane a fall. This indicates some change in the testing in these regions. 6/7
Important to note that data only goes up to 17th of April so we wouldn't expect to see the impact of the 12th of April easing of restrictions in these plots, nor the impact of the return to schools after Easter.
Overall the situation is positive across the UK.
7/7
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Today the Royal Society will meet to discuss “Fellows’ behaviour”. Without doubt the fellow they will primarily be discussing is Elon Musk.
The behaviour may range from his public dissemination of unfounded conspiracy theories to his attacks on the science
🧵
1/38
Musk is also an important figure (some would argue the most important) within a US administration that is laying siege to science and to scientific inquiry itself.
2/38 researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-world-…
The new administration’s executive orders have restricted research, silenced climate scientists and cut funding, as part of a systematic targeting of the scientific community.
3/38
Here's what I think we should be doing to ensure that the UK (and indeed other non-US countries) does not suffer the same fate.
🧵
1/37
The United States is currently witnessing an unprecedented assault on its scientists and scientific institutions, driven by populist agendas that prioritise ideology over evidence.
These orchestrated attacks threaten the foundations...
Silence will not shield scientists from the consequences of an increasingly hostile political landscape.
UK and other non-US scientists must act to support our US colleagues.
Here's what I think we should be doing...
🧵
1/35
Science thrives on collaboration and openness.
The people who practice science are committed to seeking truth and combatting falsehoods.
2/35
In an era where political forces increasingly seek to distort, suppress, or co-opt scientific knowledge for ideological purposes, the global scientific community must recognise that staying silent in the face of these challenges is no longer an option.
Fiona Fox’s recent article in Research Professional News cautions that expelling Elon Musk from the Royal Society could undermine public trust in science.
I disagree...
🧵
1/25 researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-vie…
I think that this perspective overlooks the critical role that scientific institutions play in upholding ethical standards and defending the integrity of science, especially at times when science and scientists are subject to threats and intimidation from political institutions
2
It's imperative that scientists and their representative bodies actively engage in political discourse to protect scientific integrity, particularly when it is under direct threat, as has been clearly evidenced by recent developments in the United States
3 iflscience.com/us-science-is-…
After hearing some underwhelming testimony last month at the #COVIDInquiry on the use of respirators, @trishgreenhalgh and I decided to write a rapid response to the @bmj_latest to set the record straight.
Here's what we wrote...
1/15 bmj.com/content/386/bm…
"Respirators outperform surgical masks; fit-testing is desirable but not essential"
Professor Susan Hopkins (UK Covid Inquiry, 18th September 2024) claimed that evidence for the superiority of respirators (which are made to an industry standard and designed to fit ...
2/15
closely around the face) over medical facemasks (which are not generally made to any quality standard and often fit loosely, leaving gaps around the sides) is “weak”.
She also claimed that respirators are of little use if they are not fit-tested.
3/15 bmj.com/content/386/bm…
As the UK’s general election campaign enters its final few weeks, we’ve already seen numerous examples of dodgy declarations, substandard stats and graph gaffs.
So I thought I'd write about the importance of numeracy to the functioning of democracy.
🧵
We can expect to see more questionable claims in the run up to polling day.
The factor that all these all these missteps have in common is that they involve the manipulation or misrepresentation of numerical quantities.
One of the most hotly disputed figures of the campaign so far has been the Conservatives’ claim that Labour’s policies will, as Rishi Sunak put it, “amount to a £2,000 tax rise for everyone”. Labour have rebuffed this figure, arguing that... theguardian.com/politics/artic…