Did lockdown really help prevent the spread of Covid-19? Or did we make the global crisis even worse? There’s no doubt that the pandemic had a catastrophic impact on the world. Millions of lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and the cost to the economy was hundreds of billions of dollars. I am excited to share my conversation with Prof. Mark Woolhouse OBE – a leading epidemiologist, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and Advisor to the UK government – as we discuss the pandemic, the decisions that were made and alternative ways for managing the outbreak. Prof Woolhouse is also the author of the new book “The Year The World Went Mad” - a scientific memoir about the pandemic - so he is the perfect guest to share whether or not lockdown made (and still makes) sense, why politicians chose to ignore expert opinions, how the UK managed the spread of the virus and how we should deal with future outbreaks.

 

Discussion points

• 04:32 About Mark
• 6:50 Who advises the government
• 08:30 UAE vs UK Covid-19 response
• 12:58 Working with politicians
• 14:50 How the UK handled Covid-19
• 15:50 If lockdowns make sense
• 18:24 Alternative solutions
• 21:34 Why politicians ignore experts
• 23:15 Covid-19 statistics
• 27:15 How it feels to be ignored
• 28:53 Other scientists’ frustration
• 31:19 Finance benefits
• 32:42 Empathy for politicians
• 34:58 The measures that Mark supported
• 39:50 How should we deal with future outbreaks
• 46:00 Has the world moved on?
• 49:17 The risk for minorities
• 56:45 Mark’s book: The Year The World Went Mad
• 01:02:00 The number of people died VS those that suffered in other ways

Show Sponsors:

• Smartkas: Providing food security as a service
• Arabian Business: The region’s leading source of business news, analytics, thought-leadership and features.
• Najahi Events: The UAE’s leading event promotor

 

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Prof. Mark Woolhouse OBE Buy Mark’s book: https://sandstonepress.com/books/the-year-the-world-went-mad