Alec Hogg: UK data: Covid mostly kills 80+, unvaccinated

The downside of a pandemic rapidly approaching its second anniversary is Covid fatigue. The upside is that the longer it drags on, the more data we have from which to make rational decisions. And the more that emerges, the greater the argument for open-mindedness rather than buckling to bureaucratic diktat..In May last year, SA's only living Nobel science laureate, Stanford professor Michael Levitt told the world lockdowns were "a huge mistake". Instead of closing economies he said only the elderly should be isolated. He also predicted lockdown-averse Sweden would be one of the big winners..This week the UK's Office for National Statistics, analysing comprehensive mortality data from the country's umbrella National Health Service, proves Prof Levitt's case. Virtually since the outset, the median age of Covid deaths has been at 82 years old. The latest data also shows, just like in SA, only a tiny fraction of the mortalities were among vaccinated people..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.The Wall Street Journal's Jason Douglas crunched the numbers and reports that vaccinated people accounted for just 1.2% of the UK's 50 000 covid deaths during the first half of this year. And at 84 years old, the median age of the covid vaccinated deaths was even higher than median age of the country's non-covid deaths (82)..To their credit, as the evidence emerges, the British have adjusted in a manner reminiscent of their great leader Winston Churchill who famously asked a critic "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do Madam?".Churchill admirer Boris Johnson's opening up of society the the economy on July 19, despite shrill cries from some scientists, proved masterful. As has his vaccination obsession which has achieved the desired result without forcing mandatory jabs..This week Johnson's government scrapped the Big Brother-type proposal of vaccine passports. Next step, we hope, is dropping the UK's travel restrictions that have hit SA tourism so hard..While the UK experience – and lockdown-avoiding Sweden ahead of it – offers a practical example for Pretoria, there are lessons, too, from Brazil. At a time when SA officialdom is being encouraged to introduce the Chinese vaccine, its fellow BRICs member has stopped using Sinovac – into which it previously invested heavily. Again, our partners at WSJ have the details. Click here..Other stories to read today:.* SEC Chair: Chinese firms need to open their books – or the US listings of these 270 companies will be terminated by early 2024..* Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, company documents show.* New iPhone 13 Pro and Watch Series 7 unveiled at Apple event. (also see video below).PS The BizNews Wine Club, whose purpose is to bring you fine wines at special prices, is now open for business. Click here to observe what's available from Iona, our founding supplier. Free delivery to all major SA cities..NB FOR YOUR WALL STREET JOURNAL ACCESS….As a Premium subscriber you are entitled to full membership of wsj.com (normal price $29 a month). Be sure to action your access through the Premium link on the BizNews website. Because of The Wall Street Journal's credential requirements, be sure to create a password which has at least 8 characters and includes at least one letter and one number – NB it MAY NOT contain any special characters (ie #, !, @ etc). To maintain access to WSJ.com, you MUST enter our partner's website via BizNews Premium at least once a month. A final PS, if you had previously signed up for WSJ you'll need to clear the cookies from your device. Our help desk can assist – support@biznews.com.If you'd like to help sustain our independent voice, why not share the love by making a gift that keeps giving? Click here to access the BizNews Premium subscription signup form, and be sure tick the relevant box (see below). At R100 a month and inclusive of full membership of The Wall Street Journal, it's a mind-expanding gift at an incredibly modest price.

Alec Hogg: UK data: Covid mostly kills 80+, unvaccinated

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