The US CDC data reveals an interesting age-specific case versus deaths paradox. Look at the following graph. I created the graph using data available at the US CDC website. Of all the COVID-19 cases, 85.6 percent occurred among those aged equal and below 64 years. In contrast, of all the COVID-19 deaths, 80.6 percent occurred among those aged 65 and above. Now, my message is clear and straightforward based on this graph: Minimize the contact between these two age groups. How can we minimize the contacts between these two age groups? My suggestions are; Provide financial and other incentives to…

A face mask over your mouth AND nose is not a substitute for physical distancing; stay at least 6 feet apart from those who don’t live with you. Messageframing.com #WearAMask over youth mouth AND nose in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart from people who don’t live with you and washing your hands often.

Cover youth mouth AND nose

Cover your mouth AND nose

Even almost a year after the covid19 pandemic, reminding ourselves when and how to wear a face mask continues to become a life-saving activity. Wearing a face mask alone is inadequate to combat this pandemic. However, wearing a face mask is essential to combat this pandemic. This post reminds us of the basic rules of when and how to wear a face mask as recommended by the World Health Organization. How to wear a medical or surgical mask Wash hands before touching the mask cover nose, mouth, and chin (my emphasis: at all times; it cannot be below the nose!…

This face mask compliance observational study attracted my attention because of its simplistic nature and reader-friendly presentation. I must thank Assistant Professor Susan Parham and Dr Matthew Hardy for publishing the study on The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine website. About the location Researchers have chosen a small tourist city in Paris for this face mask compliance study. Their reason for choosing this place is because of its popularity among both tourists and the local population. Wearing face coverings became mandatory in this place by the time they conducted the observation. Location selection Professor Susan Parham and Dr Matthew Hardy have…

“They told me it’s out there: The Pacific Vortex. Paradise”; The “Plastic bag” anticipates his destiny through Werner Herzog’s voice. “No one needs me here anymore, Not even my Maker”; the “Plastic bag” laments while observing the sunset on the beach. “He” is about to dive into the deep ocean heading for “paradise”: the gigantic plastic garbage dump that sits deep Pacific Ocean Vortex. Ramin Bahrani opens his “Plastic bag” (2010), an 18 minutes long film with the above narration. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival and later screened at the New York Film Festival. Ramin is an acclaimed…

This post follows up on my previous post on the same topic of cannabis use and psychosis. I was inspired by a podcast presented by Matt, Chris, and Don from the Population Health Exchange of the Boston University School Health Public Health. My focus here is on the “spinning in science writing”. About the study This was a multi-centre case-control study, which involved several countries. It appeared in The Lancet Psychiatry in 2019 under the title, “the contribution of cannabis use to variation in the incidence of psychotic disorders across Europe (EU-GEI): “A multicenter case-control study”: You can access the…

As an individual who closely follows pandemic communication, I have been observing some communication “traps” that the communicators fall into. During my research on this, I found excellent advice from the US CDC website with regard to this topic. I am sharing relevant pieces from that post here. This post details out dos and don’ts when we communicate events related to an outbreak. Dos Do not s define technical terms in plain language Use language that even a small section cannot understand Ask whether you have made the information clear. Do not assume that everything is clear. use examples or…

Simpson’s paradox may jeopardize your data interpretation.