Tag Archives: COVID19

#COVID-19 Actuaries on Deaths, Excess deaths and the Government’s use of statistics

  For months the COVID-19 actuaries bit their lips, knowing that COVID-19 deaths were being under reported. It was in the pubic interest for them not to challenge Government. Now there appears to be a much smaller amount of over-reporting … Continue reading

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Covid-19 actuaries “Super Saturday” report

The Friday Report – Issue 14 (published Saturday July 4th)   COVID-19 Actuaries Response Group – Learn. Share. Educate. Influence. Every week, more is written on COVID-19 than any individual could possibly read. Collectively, the COVID‑19 Actuaries Response Group read … Continue reading

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Enjoy summer safely in a pub?

There wasn’t much surety about Boris Johnson’s messaging in his briefing yesterday evening. The idea that having a few drinks in your local is a good idea is bonkers. I burst into laughter when the Prime Minister told me that … Continue reading

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“Nine years ago today, the Budget nearly killed me” – Guy Opperman

    This blog is about and by Guy Opperman – our  pensions minister; it’s re-published with his permission. It was first published April 26th here Today’s date is etched on my memory, and it will be forever. On Tuesday … Continue reading

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Metropolitan evacuees may not be welcome

One of the conversations I have with my brothers who live in Shaftesbury in Dorset is how little they think of second-homers from London.  I am beginning why those in the South West fear the influx of Londoners. In Covid-19 … Continue reading

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Lockdown – is the cure worse than the illness? These actuaries think not.

  We have reviewed the paper “J-value assessment of how best to combat Covid-19” by Philip Thomas, Professor of Risk Management in the Faculty of Engineering at Bristol University. Summary of key aspects of the paper This paper was given … Continue reading

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“Be fast. Have no regrets. You must be the first mover”.

  “Fast moving actuary” was once the title of a gossip column in Professional Pensions. It’s an intentional oxymoron, the actuary’s stock in trade is prudence – standing back. But “with a pandemic you can never act too early” and … Continue reading

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Covid-19 – interpreting the deaths data

Hospital deaths – Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England Data for the total number of positive tests for and deaths with COVID-19 in the UK (that is, individuals hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for COVID-19) … Continue reading

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The rocket-fuel for recovery is love

  In the pursuit of happiness (a principal theme of this blog), I am sometimes having to focus on “distress”. Now is such a time. There is a fine line between alleviating distress and profiting from it. We all know … Continue reading

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The elephant in the care home

New paper looks at early evidence of care home mortality in different countries. Provisionally concludes that about half (42% to 57%) of COVID-19 deaths are taking place in care homes. As a reminder, the 11,329 deaths announced by DHSC are … Continue reading

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