"Some statistical aspects of the COVID-19 response": a discussion

On Thursday, 10 April, from 4 to 6 pm, the Royal Statistical Society is organising a hybrid meeting to present and discuss the report "Some statistical aspects of COVID-19 response", written by Prof. Ernst C. Wit, Full professor at the Faculty of Informatics of Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and several colleagues.

The event aims to bring together experts in statistics, epidemiology, public health and politics to address the main statistical issues relating to the response to the pandemic from various perspectives, besides the main three authors, Professor Ernst C. Wit (USI), Professor Simon N. Wood and Professor Paul M.McKeigue, both from the University of Edinburgh. The paper has undergone the rigorous peer review process of the Royal Statistical Society and will be published in the Society’s journal, along with an edited transcript of the meeting discussion.

In the report, the authors reflect on questionable aspects of the COVID-19 response. In particular, it focuses on failures in risk communication and overall risk management, the economic and health consequences of lockdowns, fundamental flaws in epidemic models used to inform policy, the appropriateness of excess death estimates, and the role of lockdowns in infection control. The ecounter will be an opportunity to discuss the effects of statistical errors, misleading interpretations, and questionable modelling assumptions on the formation of public health policy during the pandemic.

More information on the event is available at the following link. You can register to participate remotely at the following link.