- “Death and Lockdowns” – There’s no proof that lockdowns save lives but plenty of evidence that they end them, argues John Tierney in City Journal
- “Rally for Freedom 20/03 – Spring Equinox Politicking in Manchester” – An eyewitness account of Saturday’s protests in Manchester on Left Lockdown Sceptics
- “NHS may have to send patients abroad to cope with backlog” – Dr Andy Stein warns that some radical changes are needed in the NHS to avoid a surge in non-Covid deaths next winter, the Express reports
- “When lockdown ends, euphoria for some, fear for others” – It’s understandable that some are feeling a certain anxiety over the exit from lockdown, writes Simon Wesseley, a Professor of Psychological Medicine at King’s College, London in the FT. But we shouldn’t medicalise it by creating a new diagnosis called “re-entry syndrome”
- “Gillian McKeith blasted for ‘self-indulgent’ support of anti-lockdown protests in London” – The Express reports that Gillian McKeith came in for some flack on twitter for her support of Saturday’s protests
- “Covid in Scotland: Police test positive after Rangers celebrations” – The headline on this BBC story suggests the police were infected by Rangers’ fans, but the article allows that that’s impossible to prove
- “Coronavirus vaccine – weekly summary of Yellow Card reporting” – The latest summary of yellow card reporting for the coronavirus vaccines indicates that there is a rate of about three to six cards per 1,000 doses administered
- “New Covid Protest Laws – To Protect You Or SHUT YOU UP?” – “Is Covid being used to usher in a police authoritarian state in which the voices of dissenters are silenced?” asks Russel Brand in a new video
- “Belgium needs a short ‘real’ lockdown, warns expert” – The Brussels Times reports on a Belgian Professor’s call for “a new lockdown, a real one, where no one goes to work, including workers or construction workers, and where schools close”. After two to four weeks, restrictions could be “relaxed a bit, if the figures have fallen sufficiently”
- “COVID-19: German states demand April lockdown extension” – Several states in Germany want Covid restrictions to remain in place into April, according to Deutsche Welle
- “Ravers feel the music at socially distanced silent disco in Barcelona” – There have been silent socially-distanced raves taking place in Barcelona city centre on Sunday mornings, Reuters reports
- “Israeli court upholds school’s barring of COVID-19 refusenik teacher” – Reuters report that an Israeli court sided with a school over its decision to dismiss a teaching assistant who declined to give proof of vaccination or negative Covid test, citing her right to privacy and freedom of conscience
- “New York Covid variant could infect vaccinated residents and those who have already had the virus, former FDA head Dr. Scott Gottlieb warns” – Another day, another warning about powerful variants, as reported in the Daily Mail
- “The Pandemic is Over” – A blog post by Susan Quinn on Ricochet, pointing out that the Covid outbreak in the US no longer meets the definition of ‘pandemic’
- “Capitalism Is What Will Defeat Covid” – A Wall Street Journal interview with Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson, about the decades of investment and planning that lie behind the development of its vaccine
- Serum Institute of India fails to deliver, New Delhi’s vaccine diplomacy hits hurdle” – Shipments from Indian vaccine manufacturer to Brazil, Morocco and Saudi Arabia will be delayed due to local demand and a fire at one of its buildings, the Times of India reports
- “Brazil’s neighbours build ‘epidemiological barrier’ to guard against out of control virus” – The Telegraph reports that Uruguay and Colombia are running vaccination campaigns in areas bordering Brazil in an effort to protect themselves from the Brazilian strain
- “COVID-19 coronavirus: MIQ receiving about 100 complaints each week” – New Zealand’s managed isolation booking system is struggling to keep up with demand, with people having to book about 16 weeks ahead, the New Zealand Herald reports
- “Papua New Guinea introduces new COVID-19 measures as deaths rise” – Schools are closing in Papua New Guinea, ABC news reports, and movement across the island is heavily restricted
- “Draconian lockdowns exact ‘heavy price’ on the young and the poor” – Boris “campaigned as a conservative” but has “governed like a hopelessly inept greenie”, says Sky News Australia’s Rita Penahi as she sets out the devastating cost of lockdowns in her latest reality check
- A group of German doctors use a wooden pole to make the argument for ending lockdown restrictions. Ingenious
By Jonathan Barr / 22 March 2021 • 01.16
