Robert Dingwall is a professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University and a member of several Government advisory groups These are extraordinary times, and not just because we are coming through the greatest national trauma since the Second World War. The vaccination programme is something close to a modern miracle. There is further good news … Read more
We must resist the powerful voices arguing for Zero Covid, writes Professor Robert Dingwall (pictured) The real Covid news gets better every day. Case numbers are falling. Hospital admissions are falling. Deaths are falling. The vaccination programme is a success beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. New, effective treatments are emerging. Spring, fresh air and sunshine are … Read more
While the shortage of beds and staff distress are all too real, what hospital doctors and nurses see on the wards does not reflect the average experience of Covid-19, writes Professor Robert Dingwall (pictured) The reports from Britain’s hospitals in the past few days have been truly worrying. No one should doubt the reality of what … Read more
Boris Johnson, it emerged this week, has finally decided to disagree with Sage, the committee of scientists that seems to have been running our response to the pandemic ever since it became clear we had an international crisis on our hands. They had recommended the return of a full national lockdown of the sort imposed in … Read more
Why have we been told that we must keep two metres from others to stop the spread of coronavirus? Why not one metre? Or three, for that matter? This question might sound slightly academic, as most of us are sensible enough to understand the importance of keeping safe and separating a couple of metres from … Read more