Unmasking the evidence

The original text of our Spectator article

This is the original text that was submitted to The Spectator. 

The Speccie editors changed the title and did not publish the graph, as is their right. However we think the graph shows a critically important point in relation to the use of observational studies to assess the effectiveness of interventions against such fleeting here-one-day-gone-the-next agents as respiratory viruses. We will re-visits the use of such designs by government agencies to justify their decisions. Meanwhile we hope our supporters will enjoy the full version.