Two professors of public health at Edinburgh University, Linda Bauld and Devi Sridhar may not be calling explicitly for Scottish independence but the logic of the evidence they present is clear. The pandemic is helping to articulate the all-too-sensible basis for countries like Scotland having control of their borders and, we must hope, tipping the formerly unsure into the campaign for normalisation. Like Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland we can still be best friends with the New England and support it in its transition to normality after the defeat of Conservatives by the New English Social Democratic Alliance in 2024. Continue reading Leading academics make compelling case for autonomy

New cases, in Scotland, have fallen in the last 24 hours by more than 400 to 2 137. This is the second fall in the last 48 hours. Like the Herald, BBC Scotland was quick to headline the facts: BBC England haven’t even bothered to tell you the UK figures: I can’t find the UK or English figures. There were 53 285 cases across the UK in the previous 24 hours. That’s 25 times the rate in Scotland. The UK has just over 12 times the population of Scotland so the infection rate is more than twice per head of … Continue reading Covid infection rate falls again to less than half UK rate

Professor Bauld is only stating the facts in the way that Andrew Marr likes to kid himself he does too but, in the wider political world in which we all live but which, I know, she is less comfortable in, it’s rare. UK media rarely compare the performance of the 4 Nations in any way which might draw attention to the awful performance of the Conservative Government in England. Try, for example, finding the data for England in media broadcasts. BBC websites give the figures for the UK, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, leaving you to do the arithmetic to … Continue reading Top public health expert reveals Scotland’s superior Covid performance

I’ve previously questioned Professor Linda Bauld’s willingness to fully credit the Scottish Government and the Scottish people for their achievement in keeping infection and death levels significantly lower than in England and Wales. Today in the Herald, you’d be forgiven for thinking her assessment of the situation to be, once more, sufficiently pessimistic and context-free to suit the dominant media agenda, but her comments have been buried ‘down the page’ where many readers do not go. She did say: Bauld could, of course, have indicated ‘why our rates are significantly lower than they are elsewhere in the UK’ but at … Continue reading Public Health Expert’s comments on Scotland’s superior Covid performance buried by Herald reporter

From the Herald today: As many as 2,133 Scots may have contracted Covid-19 while in hospital over the course of the pandemic this year, figures show. Ooooh! Is that a lot? Is it more than in, say, England? I’m sorry the Herald’s award-winning investigative team didn’t think you’d be interested in that. So, from Talking-up Scotland‘s work-experience student, Monica (16), after 30 minutes research: There have been 129 992 cases of Covid so far in Scotland. 2 133 is 1.64%. The rate of hospital-acquired Covid infections in England ranges from 17.6% to 25%, 10 to 15 times higher. Source: https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/the-ongoing-problem-of-hospital-acquired-infections-across-the-uk/ Continue reading …is very few and much much fewer than in, say, England

As Andrew Marr insists, that’s what the data tell us. Continue reading The Scottish Connection: Better government communication, greater confidence, greater compliance, fewer infections and deaths?

NICOLA Sturgeon has issued a stark warning that “the next few weeks may be the most dangerous we’ve faced” since the start of the pandemic. The call for caution from the First Minister comes as Scotland recorded 2,539 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24-hour period – while 2,622 new cases were confirmed on Hogmanay. So that’s 2 622 minus 2 539 giving us a fall in the last 24 hours of 83. I’m not doubting the threat or the importance of the need to stick to the plan but panic helps no one. Cases numbers are climbing, they’re not ‘soaring’ … Continue reading Covid cases ‘soar’ by minus 83?

England has ten times the population of Scotland but nearly 30 times as many patients in intensive care. That’s a very significant difference and while causes will almost certainly be complex, they must be there. Less dramatically, admittance to hospital with any level of Covid infection is twice as common in England: There is at least as much poverty, underlying ill health, and old age in Scotland so that seems an unlikely explanation. England has a higher percentage of BAME groups in the population than Scotland and the Asian sub-group does seem to be suffering more. Contact -tracing in Scotland … Continue reading Why are you THREE times as likely to end uP in Covid ICU in England?

Walking on Ayr beach yesterday with the dog met a familiar London ex-pat who is a bit older than me and has underlying conditions. Asked if he’d had word of a vaccination appointment. Predictably: ‘Nah, they’re well behind up here.’ I let it go. ‘Ee’s not warf it.’ You see the data above say otherwise. After three weeks, we’re 21% ahead of NHS England. Continue reading Scotland already vaccinating more

But, but, they fell by ‘nearly’ a hundred: And the level is way below that in England: Wow! Isn’t that interesting. Makes to you want to investigate, doesn’t it? No? You’re washing your hair tonight? Continue reading I know percentages are hard but subtraction?