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Covid-19 and influenza are both respiratory diseases, but there are important differences, which statistics can help us understand. First, Sars-CoV-2 is more infectious than seasonal flu. We’re used to hearing about the reproduction number R, the average number of people whom someone with the virus will infect. In a population without immunity and policies such as social distancing, R for Sars-CoV-2 is now estimated to be around 3. New mutations...

Behind the numbers: the short answer is yes, and scientists still have much to learn about it

Join Tim Harford and Amanda Glassman as they discuss Harford’s new book, The Data Detective. Already a bestseller in the UK, the book uses new research in science and psychology to set out ten strategies for using statistics to erase our biases and replace them with new ideas that use virtues like patience, curiosity, and good sense to better understand ourselves and the

Behind the numbers: why some European countries have called into question the AstraZeneca jab

While the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the European Medicines Agency have both approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for all adults, Germany, France and six other European nations have recommended it only for those under 65, Belgium and Italy for people under 55 and Switzerland for nobody at all. Why are different regulators making different decisions? The problem is the relevant trials recruited only 660...