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Posts feedA Problem of Excess
Epidemics and pandemics are, by definition, fast-moving and difficult to track. These are the diseases that we couldn't keep a lid on, outbreaks that breached our initial efforts at control. It follows then, that ongoing reporting of such diseases won't be entirely accurate, subject to various limitations imposed by testing and recording protocols. This reality is misused by some who believe that reported impacts are exaggerated and societal responses unjustified, but such a belief runs counter to the evidence.
The renewed importance of place
In my previous blog I showed how suddenly the excess deaths rose in Scotland and England & Wales due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I plotted the excess weekly mortality in two separate graphs because the two countries had such a similar experience that a single figure would have looked muddled.
A week is a long time in a pandemic
According to British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, "a week is a long time in politics". As with politics, so also with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 mortality and sex
I recently looked at the progression of Covid-19 mortality risk with age. As with all-cause mortality, another risk factor for Covid-19 is biological sex.
COVID-19 mortality and age
When faced with a pandemic disease, such as the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, a multi-layered approach is useful.
Mortalityrating and GDPR
Previously our mortalityrating.com service processed a simple file format that included postcode, gender and date of birth alongside pension amount and commencement date for individuals in an occupational pension scheme. This combination of attributes when taken together is often capable of identifying "natural persons" in the language of the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Occupational hazard
We previously considered Sir Michael Marmot's landmark Whitehall Studies, which looked at health and mortality outcomes for UK civil servants. Sir Michael continues to research UK mortality, and has recently been drawing attention to the fact that improvements in UK life expectancy appear to be slowing down.
Of mice and (space)men
It may seem obvious, but when encountering longevity research, it bears repeating: human biology is not mouse biology. For this reason, one of my resolutions for 2017 was to minimise blogs centered around rodents.
Special Delivery
Drug molecules, without special intervention, don't apply only where we want them to. Indeed, late last year this fact landed pharmaceutical giant Reckitt Benckiser in trouble with the Australian regulator.
Top of the tree
What do civil servants and monkeys have in common (ignoring a purportedly greater than average interest in bananas)?