Day: 27 September 2021

A summary of all the most interesting stories that have appeared about politicians’ efforts to control the virus — and other acts of hubris and folly – not just in Britain, but around the world.

To help reduce long waiting lists, hospitals in England have been told they can scrap some of the anti-Covid measures introduced during lockdown, including testing and isolating patients before planned operations.

Pfizer's CEO says that the pharmaceutical giant will ask the U.S. FDA to approve the use of its Covid vaccines in 5-11 year-olds "within days".

People living in England's poorer regions are almost twice as likely to have to wait more than 12 months for hospital treatment – and waiting lists are growing more quickly in these areas than elsewhere.

On Saturday, the Irish Government announced that travellers from its list of 'designated states' (Ireland's 'Red List') would no longer have to quarantine for two weeks, creating pressure on Westminster to follow suit.

Why did so few economists speak out against lockdowns? Mikko Packalen and Jay Bhattacharya note that economists are members of the 'laptop class', and that over the years, the field has become more technocratic.