Author: Luca Dellanna
-
Why is ventilation so important during a pandemic?
Watch the video, read the text further below, or download the flyer at the bottom. We have heard that ventilation and improving air quality is important during the pandemic. But is it true? How much does it help, really? The importance of ventilation If you spend ten minutes in a closed room with someone infected,…
-
The bad, the ugly, and the good about lockdowns
Lockdowns come with huge socio-economic costs. Hence, it’s important to understand whether they also offer any benefit and, if so, when their use is justified, if ever. Before we continue, a clarification: the article refers to lockdowns only limiting indoor activities. Limiting outdoor activities mostly doesn’t make sense, and implementing such measures was mostly a…
-
Do lockdowns work?
Lockdowns come with huge socio-economic costs but do help reduce deaths. Another article on this website examines the socio-economic costs of lockdowns and whether their viral spread benefits are worth it. This article is solely about whether lockdowns help reduce deaths. Before we continue, a clarification: the article refers to lockdowns only limiting indoor activities.…
-
Did the flu disappear in 2020?
Official data seems to suggest that the flu nearly disappeared in the second half of 2020. Did it really happen, or was it an artifact of not testing for the flu anymore? Was it because we tested less? In the second half of 2020, fewer people have been tested for influenza than usual – probably…
-
Why does reducing viral spread matter even for the healthy?
Covid is known to disproportionately kill the old and the vulnerable. This has led many healthy young people to think that reducing the viral spread between the healthy doesn’t matter. Is it true? There are three considerations to make: direct risks, indirect risks, and societal costs. Let’s see them one by one. Direct risks For…
-
How to organize a safe Thanksgiving dinner with vulnerable family members
Watch the video, read the text further below, or download the flyer at the bottom. Imagine it’s November. Thanksgiving is in two weeks, and you’re planning to spend it with your family, which includes some vulnerable elders. A recent wave of viral infections makes you worry that you might infect your grandma, but you do…
-
What are common misunderstandings about masks?
Watch the video, read the text further below, or download the flyer at the bottom. Here are 7 things people misunderstand about masks: Download all the one-pagers as a PDF here.
-
Were hospitals overwhelmed during the pandemic?
Newspapers reported at least a few hospitals being overwhelmed during the pandemic, such as Bergamo’s, New York’s, and Spain’s. That said, many questioned those reports, noting that other hospitals didn’t get overwhelmed at all, or that in many countries, aggregate data didn’t show much signs of overwhelm. Let’s examine those two arguments Argument #1: Some…
-
Focused protection: how does it work?
Lockdowns come with hefty socio-economic costs. “Focused protection” arose as an alternative to lockdowns, and refers to a simple idea: instead of asking everyone to lock down and mask, let’s ask only the vulnerable to do that. This idea requires that the vulnerable never spend time indoors with someone at risk of being infected. The…
-
If masks work, why did infections continue?
Watch the video, read the text further below, or download the flyer at the bottom. People who wear a good mask while taking the bus are protected during their journey. However, if they later visit a crowded pub, they might contract the virus there. If they get sick this way, they get the impression their…