Introduction
Did lockdown really help prevent the spread of Covid-19? Or did we make the global crisis even worse? There’s no doubt that the pandemic had a catastrophic impact on the world. Millions of lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and the cost to the economy was hundreds of billions of dollars. I am excited to share my conversation with Prof. Mark Woolhouse OBE – a leading epidemiologist, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and Advisor to the UK government – as we discuss the pandemic, the decisions that were made and alternative ways for managing the outbreak. Prof Woolhouse is also the author of the new book “The Year The World Went Mad” – a scientific memoir about the pandemic – so he is the perfect guest to share whether or not lockdown made (and still makes) sense, why politicians chose to ignore expert opinions, how the UK managed the spread of the virus and how we should deal with future outbreaks.
Show Notes
04:32 About Mark
6:50 Who advises the government
08:30 UAE vs UK Covid-19 response
12:58 Working with politicians
14:50 How the UK handled Covid-19
15:50 If lockdowns make sense
18:24 Alternative solutions
21:34 Why politicians ignore experts
23:15 Covid-19 statistics
27:15 How it feels to be ignored
28:53 Other scientists’ frustration
31:19 Finance benefits
32:42 Empathy for politicians
34:58 The measures that Mark supported
39:50 How should we deal with future outbreaks
46:00 Has the world moved on?
49:17 The risk for minorities
56:45 Mark’s book: The Year The World Went Mad
01:02:00 The number of people died VS those that suffered in other ways
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Social Links
Buy Mark’s book: https://sandstonepress.com/books/the-year-the-world-went-mad
