Is it really crazy to ignore ‘the science’ on coronavirus?

Jul 20, 2020 by

by Will Jones, Faith and Politics:

Well-known theologian Tom Wright has said it is “crazy” to ignore the science on coronavirus, calling it both “fascinating and worrying” that some Christians are reluctant to believe the scientific community’s expert opinion on the disease.

What Dr Wright is failing to acknowledge is that the scientific community does not have one expert opinion on coronavirus and there is no such thing as “the science”. There are instead a variety of viewpoints put forward by scientists, and different studies that point in different directions.

Consider, for example, how the government’s scientific advice has changed throughout the epidemic. On January 31, when the first two coronavirus cases were identified in the UK, Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that the NHS was “extremely well-prepared for managing infections” and it was quickly trying to identify any close contacts the two patients had to prevent further spread. Public Health England claimed there was minimal risk of infection to either guests or staff at the Staycity hotel in York where the two patients had been staying.

Looking ahead, Whitty added: “A lot of people will end up with a relatively minor disease.” The small number who go on to be more seriously ill tend to develop respiratory problems which “will be dealt with as anyone else with a respiratory disease.”

Two weeks later, on February 13, Whitty elaborated further on this mitigation strategy: “At this point in time … we have a strategy that relies on four tactical aims. The first is to contain, the second is to delay, the third is to do the science and the research, and the fourth is to mitigate so that we can actually brace the NHS.”

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